Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
BROOKLYN, Mich (August 17, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Were you relieved when you heard the penalty because of where you are in the Playoff battle?
“Yes. It definitely helps us out. We are still only in by three, but there are still four spots left instead of the three. Definitely a relief there, but it is still going to be a dogfight. I said that after the race – it is going to be a dogfight for the next three races. We are still not safe but there is an extra spot open now.”
What do you feel like has led to the recent consistent run for your team?
“Taking a step back, taking a deep breath and working through the problems. Accepting if it is not your day, handle it – and when it is not your day, it’s not that bad of a day. When it is a good day, we are executing on those days as well. We’ve shown up with a lot of speed the last few weeks. We’ve shown up with our heads in the game, and we’ve been close a couple of times. I said that at the beginning of the year – you have to put your name in the hat, and we went a long time not even having right size of hat on. Definitely showing up and being in the game, from the start of practice to the end of the race. It is so hard to do. Every weekend that is our main goal – just to be in the game, and you don’t know when you are not in it until the green flag falls. It could be stage one or stage two or the last stage – you never know. You just have to fight so hard with today’s car, and how the races play out – it is just so damn hard. You have one mistake, and you are killed. Passing is nearly impossible, so you want to maintain track position as much as you can, and I’ve done a lot of things to give up track position. We haven’t executed to keep track position. I think now we’ve been vibing. We’ve been jelling and moving the needle. You can’t ever get complacent. It doesn’t matter how your last five was – it doesn’t mean your next five are going to be the same. It is a new set of downs. It is a new week, and it all starts today.”
Are you comfortable on knowing where the line is during these races? How would the rest of the season have played out if this line hadn’t been done?
“I think just growing up – it takes me back to the summer shootout, and (Steve) Post is back there. Post knows how many fights I’ve been in and whatnot and wrecking people and learning from that. You learn that is not right, and you try to turn over a clean slate, and you try to race with a lot of respect. I know that homeboy is probably tired of getting talked about, but I got wrecked twice in two weeks in Legend Cars and I told him, hey, we don’t race like that. I know that I haven’t been here in five years, but we don’t do that, and he’s like the whole field does that, so learn how to do it. I’m like, holy shit that is not the right answer. And then you see stuff like that on Sundays. I know it’s like – y’all do it there, and you’ve got a point. I knew where I was at – fourth or fifth. My emotions coming off of (turn) two heading to the checkered, I was like – he may get him, but thank God Joey (Logano) is leading. I’m thinking about points here – cool, Joey is leading. Don’t know if he is safe. Oh shit, he hit him. Ok sweet, Denny (Hamlin) is going to win. Wow. That is where we are. That was my range of emotions. At the bottom line, I think you grow up racing, going through your wrecks, finally stop wrecking, start winning, start running competitive, earn respect. I said it after the race. People are going to say what does Bubba Wallace have to say about respect? And they are going to bring up shit from two years ago, because they live in the past. When you feel like you are wronged in the sport, and it is so hard, and you fight your ass off each and every race, and every minute, every hour of the race and someone just feels like they don’t respect it, you retaliate. The officials upstairs will say every incident is different. No, it is not. It is retaliation. That is all it is. Retaliation. You feel like you are wronged, and it is a knee jerk reaction. I’m not saying that is what is right. That’s just what happens. Something is ripped away from you, so you are going to rip it away from them. You want to fight, then here we go. It comes down to retaliation, and I don’t know. I didn’t read the article – but Denny’s hit was the hardest in the Next Gen car. Is that correct? (information provided) That is what it is. From those moments you grow, and you mature, and you know the line, and for me, would I have made that move? I would have tried my hardest to get to the 22 (Joey Logano) without spinning him, but then that was it. I lost. Throw in the towel, that is it.”
Did you feel like a suspension was warranted?
“Retaliation is retaliation, so if we are going to set the line there, then yeah, but myself and Chase (Elliott) were in the middle of the race. This one was different. In the same category as retaliation, so I think not being a Playoff eligible win – we go through the points and money stuff – that somewhat nets out the same. Kinda.”
Does this go back to the ‘win, and you are in?’
“It starts at media day in Daytona and what will you do to win a race?”
Who’s fault is that?
“The system’s fault. They created this system where you put it on the line, but at the same time, we always say will you wreck your mother to win? Of course, yeah. (laughter) No, you wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. You do everything in your power under the respectful line to win the race. Now people want to relate (Joey) Logano and (Martin) Truex at Martinsville the same as what happened to Richmond. Who are these people? He moved him out of the way, knocked him out of the groove, and they drag raced to the line. Yeah, he may have plowed him, but he didn’t spin him out, wreck him and didn’t give him a chance to finish. He finished second. Where Truex messed up is he shouldn’t have let him get to his back bumper. Kept him on the outside. It is nuts how we can relate that to this and this to that. I don’t know. You just have to remember where you came from and what it took to get here and what you had to go through and earn respect of people. I remember getting to the Truck level and you would race harder because you are a rookie. Things change. You start to gain the respect of your peers. You move up to Xfinity. The cycle resets. Then you get to Cup, and it resets again. You have to earn and respect your way in the Cup level, because at the end of the day it is a self-policing field. If the officials don’t take care of you, we know how to take care of you.”
Is there enough time to make a decision in the last 350 feet?
“You can never walk in someone else’s shoes and relive that moment, but I would assume he went in there and obviously, he checked up to see where he was going, and his spotter is just screaming at him to hook him and wreck him. It’s like you almost forgot about the 11 (Denny Hamlin) – you are out there on an island, got him out of the way, and oh shit, I messed up, and take out the 11. It is a little bit of knowing where your surroundings are, forgetting about the car behind and reacting to that. I think that is possible.”
Do you feel good about the last three races of the regular season?
“Yeah, for sure. The last five races, I had a top-three average finish. Definitely the mojo is there, but that is the past. It’s like Chase (Elliott) said it the best a few years ago, the past success doesn’t mean future success. It is a new opportunity. It’s nice to know that we are not heading into three road course races. Although, I’m enjoying the time on road courses. It is nice to know there is three good tracks coming up. It helps the vibe, and it helps the momentum for us, but it does not slow up the work process. The workload just gets heavier for us, and we have enough great people on this team to dig all through it and capitalize on it.”
Do you think you can have another successful race weekend here in Michigan like you did a couple of years ago?
“I hope so. I remember that day vividly. I remember the car and how it drove, the temperature outside, everything about it. Hoping to replicate that – that would be awesome – one spot better. I know what I did on the last restart to give the win away, but yeah, it is a great day. It is a great start to the day. Sorry, I overslept a little bit, I was trying to catch up on the pre-baby sleep, but it is a good day. Hopefully, shaping up to be a good weekend. We always circle this place as a place that we want to come up and dominate. Last year, we did not do that. Two years ago, we were close, so it is time to reset the downs and do it again today and tomorrow.”
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