Bubba Wallace was a beacon of change in 2020 when he influenced NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from its events. But his involvement in balancing the scales of racial discrimination left him with the image of an opportunist in some circles. The stock car racing fandom was even more divided when his racing performances continually didn’t warrant his fame.
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He struggled to pick himself up on the track over the years. He went into a mental meltdown when his friend, Ryan Blaney, won the championship in 2023 and when he failed to make the playoffs in 2024. It was then that he made the conscious decision to turn things around. The results of that decision are apparent from his results in 2025.
Wallace has run 72.2% of all possible laps so far inside the top 15. Only four drivers have done a better job than him in this. Notably, he ran every lap at Martinsville in the top 15 last Sunday. The week before that, in Homestead-Miami, he ran 94% of all laps in the top 15. And the impressiveness just keeps building.
He arrived at Harvick Happy Hour recently on top of his hot form to speak with Kevin Harvick. The conversation that the duo shared left fans deeply attracted to the new man and performer that Wallace is. Reading the comments below the video on YouTube, it was rather easy to see how his image has begun transitioning from desperate to dominant and relentless.
One fan drew highly sensible parallels between Wallace and Kyle Busch. They said, “Bubba reminds me of Kyle Busch in his early days. Hot head, quick temper, and never satisfied with finishing second. All the talent in the world just got in his head, clouding his focus on the prize… But now, it seems like his visions and his focus is right where it needs to be.”
A victory lane visit is right around the corner for him. He is racing better than ever at every track type and setting up fresh standards for himself. Another fan who sensed the character behind these changes wrote, “Bubba has matured. He’s a different guy than 3 or 4 years ago. Great interview!”
Traditionally, he has been a driver who starts a season slowly and begins gaining heat with time. But that hasn’t been the case this year. The competition from his teammate, Tyler Reddick, is bound to have been a driving factor in this.
A comment read, “I see and hear a much different Bubba, and confidence he has shown in his very fast race cars he is getting week in and week out.”
One more added, “I can see a huge difference in Bubba. He used to talk out the side of his mouth, which to me was a difference in his attitude. He lacked self-confidence. He now is direct and much more confident.” How far will this altered approach take him? It remains to be seen. For now, all his focus will be on reaching victory lane at Darlington this Sunday.
