Bubba Wallace claims he needs to win for NASCAR to grow

Bubba Wallace believes that if he wins more races, he can help get NASCAR to the next level. While appearing on The Breakfast Club, Wallace was asked what needs to happen for NASCAR to grow.

“I need to win,” Wallace said. “There you go. I think that’s the easiest way to go about it. I need to win. Golf didn’t change too much, but Tiger [Woods] was dominant and created a lot of buzz. I’ve only had two wins in my eight years being in Cup. To me, that’s unacceptable.

“The way that we’ve been performing this year, last two races finishing third, two spots away from doing just that. I’ll take full responsibility in helping that.”

Bubba Wallace is the only Black full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. As Wallace mentioned, he only has two Cup Series race wins, with the last victory happening in 2023. But that doesn’t mean the 31-year-old hasn’t accomplished anything in his Cup career.

Bubba Wallace has made history in his NASCAR career

In the 2018 and 2022 Daytona 500, Wallace finished second, making him the highest-finishing African-American driver in the race. And earlier this year, Wallace won the Duel at Daytona, a qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

On Sunday, Wallace finished third at Martinsville. After the race, Wallace told FOX Sports he was proud of the way he and his No. 23 team performed but knew he made some mistakes that cost him the victory.

“A good day nonetheless. I’m trying to scratch my head on what I could have done different,” Wallace said. “My restarts were terrible. One of my best traits, so need to go back and study that. What a great day. Continuing to rebound from the start of our season. Super proud of our group here at the 23 team. McDonald’s Toyota Camry was fast all weekend.

“That final restart, I let that second get away. I don’t know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try. But all in all, hell of a day for Toyota. Top three. That’s nice. Keep the momentum going, having fun.”