Bubba Wallace Reacts to Best Result So Far This Season at Bristol
Recording his best result of the season, Bubba Wallace achieved an impressive milestone by finishing P3 at last weekend's NASCAR Bristol Night Race. This finish marked Wallace's first top-5 finish ever at Bristol, a substantial achievement for the driver after a difficult year and an emotional high that coincided with a memorable win for his beloved Tennessee Volunteers.
The Volunteers decisively beat the Oklahoma Sooners in a football game, complementing the positive energy that surrounded Wallace's accomplishment.
The race was filled with its own fair share of drama. Wallace faced a mixed reception as he was introduced ahead of his Bristol campaign, receiving boos from a large portion of the crowd. However, he attempted to bridge the gap with fans by offering his support for the Tennessee Volunteers. "Go Big Orange," Wallace shouted, though the effort to win over the crowd was met with limited success.
Technically, this P3 finish was a substantial improvement in the driver's performance, especially with the Next Gen car on short tracks. Prior to this race, his average finish in Next Gen races at Bristol had been a disappointing P24. Historically, Wallace had only one top-10 finish at Bristol, dating back to 2020 with Richard Petty Motorsports, making this achievement one for the books.
This victory comes at a crucial point in the season for Wallace, who is not in the NASCAR playoffs. Nevertheless, he managed to outperform his might team boss Denny Hamlin and teammate Tyler Reddick, who is the regular season champion. The momentum from this strong performance is expected to carry forward to the upcoming race at Kansas, a track where Wallace celebrated a win in 2022.
"I didn't nessesarily think we were a third-place car," Wallace admitted . "We just battled, stayed in it all together. Our Camry was just OK and [we were] just trying to make do and trying to keep pace.
"We definitely couldn't run hard in the beginning. I changed up some technique stuff and gave us a long-run chance.
"With 20 to go I was figuring it wouldn't play out in our favor. And thank God it did," he said. "All-in-all a good day, a top five. I told Bootie (Barker, crew chief) that we are a seventh-to-12th place car, coming in here – and we ended up third.
"It is still not good enough. We have to go to work to figure out how we can be two spots better, but all-in-all – best in class in multiple categories. Just appreciate the effort. It stings, running this well when you are not in the Playoffs, but it just makes you hungrier for next year."
He continued:
"Hey, our stats say it's our best year yet! Now, we are six and 11; six top fives, 11 top 10s.
"Good day!"
The P3 finish also supports the recent news of Wallace's contract extension, reinforcing the faith his team has placed in him.
This race was also a stage dominated by Kyle Larson, who led for 462 out of the 500 laps. Larson set a record for the most laps led by a Hendrick driver in a single race.
