Bubba Wallace explains mindset coming out of Daytona amid playoff bubble fight

The last thing Bubba Wallace needed to see this past Saturday at Daytona was a first-time winner this season. And yet, the racing Gods weren’t on his side as Harrison Burton scored the upset victory to clinch a spot into the 16-driver playoff field.

Now, Wallace heads into Darlington this Sunday, the regular season finale, with a lot of work to do. He’s 21 points below the playoff cutline, needing to somehow close the gap or find his way to Victory Lane. Wallace, speaking on “The Dale Jr. Download” Tuesday, discussed his mindset ahead of the Southern 500, one of NASCAR‘s four crown jewel events.

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Wallace admitted he wasn’t in the best of moods coming out of Daytona, seeing he did everything right as it pertains to out-racing fellow bubble driver Ross Chastain.

“I think I looked at the schedule a week before the off weekend and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s Darlington this time. I thought it was Daytona the whole time.’ So, there’s two sides of it coming out of Daytona. You’re bummed, you’re pissed off, not really pissed off but you’re frustrated you’re not in. You did what you were supposed to do, we outraced the 1 car [Chastain], and we have a six-point cushion to him. But we had a new winner. So, it’s like the goalposts moved again.

“I had Sunday to be down and figure out is it gonna work, is it not gonna work? I had Monday to — being at the shop brought all the competitive juices but you’re not ready for it, so I wasn’t in the best of moods yesterday.”

Bubba Wallace reveals special message Michael Jordan gave him amid playoff crunch

While Darlington is no cakewalk, it has been a track that’s been kind to Wallace of late. He has tallied four consecutive top 10s at “The Lady in Black,” including a P7 result back in May.

While his frustration after Daytona was evident, Wallace is now feeling energized and excited about the opportunity ahead, thanks to a text he received from 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan.

“I had [Jordan] text me and he said, ‘Things you want more cost more,’” Wallace said. “All day yesterday and all day, in the middle of the night, I’m telling myself you’ve just got to go out there and have the best race you’ve ever had of your life. It’s just showing up, me doing all that I can. Take out the outside factors, pit stops, or we call the wrong race. You go out and drive your best race you’ve ever had and knowing that you have the people, knowing you have the equipment and everything else will make its own way. That’s how I’m approaching it. I woke up in a much better mood this morning and I think that helps.

“Last year I went into Daytona really stressed out. I think for Daytona you can get by with that, but I think if it was Darlington I would have crashed Lap 2. Taking a deep breath, understanding where we’re at. We’re not out of it by any means. If you outrun the guys you’re racing, then you should beat them. But we have to do a little bit of extra work and I’m excited to roll the sleeves up and do that.”