Bubba Wallace enjoyed his career-best run during Sunday’s playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway. After having led for 111 of 267 laps, his momentum slipped away during the final restart, and he ended up finishing in third place behind William Byron and Ross Chastain.
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Had he won the race he would have been secured for the round of eight, something that was really weighing on his mind. Following the race Wallace had the chance to speak with the press where he explained his final restart and where it all went wrong for him.
Bubba Wallace explains what went wrong on the final restart
The reporter inquired about Wallace’s performance in the race, noting that he had led for a significant amount of laps, but ultimately was not able to win. The 23XI Racing driver was also asked to explain what happened during the last restart that caused him to lose his lead.
He responded, “Third time I fooled myself starting on top. These guys gave me the right information. 14 was tight and he sent it off in there. Wasn’t going to stick, but that’s what he’s going to do.”
He added, “We’re racing for a win. I just hate it. I should have just kept my line into 3 (turn), and forced William to get tight. But we’re so vulnerable in these cars, right? But just upset with myself. Really needed a win there, and it was a good showing. I don’t know where that puts us. I don’t really care. But I know what I did and I choked.”
Wallace elaborates on his plans for the next two races
Further into the interview, Wallace was asked about his plans for the next two races and if he had learned anything from his performance at Texas.
The 23XI Racing playoff driver replied, “Yeah, you’ve just got to process things slower. I feel like I’ve made a massive improvement in that, processing things a little bit better, but when it comes down to crunch time, you have to keep it all in check. The best restarter in the game gives it up on a restart. Funny how that works.”
Lastly, he expressed gratitude to everyone who supported him and acknowledged the strong performance of his Toyota Camry, especially while leading the race. He also mentioned that he faced some difficulties while driving in traffic, but overall managed to overcome them and secured a solid points finish.
He has traditionally been strong at Superspeedways, with his first Cup win coming at Talladega during the 2021 season. So looking forward to next weekend, if he is able to continue to drive at this level, a Wallace win might just be on the cards.
