Despite “Missing the Beat,” Bubba Wallace Ties Career-Best Top-10 Streak at Watkins Glen
Bubba Wallace is in the midst of one of his strongest Cup campaigns to date. With a win already locking him into the playoffs, the No. 23 Toyota Camry driver has continued to string together stout performances. On Sunday at Watkins Glen, Wallace showed up impressively as he turned a P15 start into an eighth-place finish, his best result at the New York road course and first top-10 there in seven starts.
The day didn’t begin smoothly for Wallace, as he slipped to 20th by the end of Stage 1, and then fell further to 29th after Stage 2. But he rallied in the final stage, working his way forward to secure a top-10 finish.
The run marked his fourth career top-10 on a road course and extended his streak to four straight top-10 finishes, matching the career-best stretch he set in 2022 between New Hampshire and Michigan.
With finishes of P7 at Dover, P1 at Indianapolis, P6 at Iowa, and P8 at Watkins Glen, Wallace has climbed from 13th to 11th in the regular-season standings. He currently sits ninth on the playoff grid with two races left before the postseason.
“It’s (No. 23 Toyota Camry) solid. McDonald’s Land team did a really, really good job getting our Toyota close,” Wallace said post-race, praising his crew and his car.
Yet he admitted he had expected a bit more. “We’re still missing the beat a little bit just from the start of the weekend. So, we just had to execute, run a clean race all day, and make the most of it. That’s what we did, and we come out with a top-10,” Wallace added.
“We just had to execute, run a clean race all day, and make the most of it.” –@BubbaWallace finishes eighth at Watkins Glen.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/5eqnkc882l
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 10, 2025
Known for past struggles on road courses, Wallace credited a shift in approach and mindset for his recent progress. “I mean just calming down, slowing things down, processing things a little bit slower and making it work,” he explained.
Next up is Richmond, where Wallace carries an average finish of 20.4 over 13 starts, with just one top-five result, but this time with the arrow trending up and the 23XI Racing team heading to the playoffs.
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