Ever since he finished P5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there has been an air of confidence about Bubba Wallace. The #23 looked rapid on track and that result brought him within seven points of the playoff cutline. Ross Chastain currently holds the final spot but is hanging by a thread. With four races to go in the regular season, Wallace has a lot of time to catch up to the Trackhouse Racing star. That is of course if there is no new race winner in these four races.
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It hasn’t been a consistent season for the driver of the #23 car. He started it well with two P5 finishes and P4 in Martinsville. Indianapolis is his first top-five finish since then. Not making the playoffs is not an option for the driver. He did it for the first time in his career last season. Anything less than that would be considered a downgrade. Thankfully, the 23XI Racing star now has the confidence to prove his doubters wrong yet again.
We’re just having some fun😁 P5 in Indy 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/4UsvhqhTRp
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 22, 2024
“We thrive off counting us out,” he said to NASCAR. “You thought we’d be out in the (first) round, too, last year, didn’t you? We didn’t do that, either. Just keep on fighting, prove y’all wrong.”
Last season, a lot of people were surprised to see Wallace get through to the second round of the playoffs. Considering it took him to the last regular season race to point his way in, it was a commendable achievement. However, the aim will be higher this time around.
Wallace made amends for poor qualifying run at Indy
The 30-year-old was not happy with himself after the qualifying effort for the Indy race. He started P17 but made his way up into the top five. Not just that, he was even able to win the second stage, making it the first stage win of his career. In the post-race interview, Wallace said that he was unhappy with his efforts on Friday and Saturday but Sunday was a whole different ball game.
“We were fifth – what a day. I just did not do a good job on Friday and Saturday and set us behind for track position. I really didn’t know what our car had, but I knew the people we had on it and that is what matters the most. I appreciate Bootie (Barker, crew chief) and the gang for just giving me a car to work with,” he said.
Now just only seven points behind Chastain, the #23 driver will be praying that no one new wins a race. The current situation favors him over the Trackhouse star as 23XI has been running a lot better in recent races. Ideally, he would prefer to win one of the remaining four regular season races.
