How Kurt Busch’s Relationship With Bubba Wallace Has Evolved and Come Full Circle

From being someone he saw as a young racecar driver with dreams of NASCAR in his eyes, to being his rival on the racetrack, to being his teammate, the role of Kurt Busch has constantly changed in the life of Bubba Wallace. But now, Busch’s role is of a mentor to Wallace. And just like every mentor, he too believes a lot in his mentee’s potential and what he can achieve.

“Bubba is in his prime right now. Bubba has years of experience,” Busch said recently as per Review Journal. “It’s great to see him charge into this season with his attitude and focus. He knows he’s in the mix and it’s time to grab another gear.”

In fact, Busch believes that Wallace is ready to be the next big thing in NASCAR. “That’s a weight that’s on his shoulders and we’ll never know what it’s like to walk in his shoes. We just have to keep encouraging him to grow,” he said.

This feeling of respect goes both ways between Busch and Wallace, as the #23 driver opened up on how Busch was always there whenever he messed up, and also there whenever he achieved a new milestone to sing his praises.

Speaking about what the 2004 NASCAR Cup champion brings to the table, Wallace added that “the way his mind works” and the little things he looks for in every race are what excited him about working with Busch. “He brings in a perspective you never think about,” Bubba Wallace claimed.‌

How did Bubba Wallace react to the untimely retirement of Kurt Busch?

Nobody had imagined that the seemingly harmless crash at Pocono that ruled Busch out indefinitely from NASCAR would also be what would lead to his untimely retirement. But that’s how sometimes the life of an athlete is. Cruel things happen, unannounced and all of a sudden.

The retirement of Kurt Busch shocked most of the NASCAR fraternity as well as his fans, and his then-teammate Bubba Wallace was no exception. “It was tough,” Wallace said.

Having said that, Wallace also shed some light on how Busch is dealing with where he is in his life after his retirement. “He’s embracing where he’s at right now. He feels like he has a different objective and goal to fulfill, and that’s to prep Tyler and I for the races coming up,” he said. Busch too claimed that his time is “worth the effort” and there’s more work to be done in 23XI.

As per the veteran, their sights are on being one of the top teams like JGR, HMS, or Penske, as he even ventured on to say that 23XI Racing are “right on heels” of those Big 3.