Bubba Wallace on NASCAR driver personalities: 'I'm near the top of the list'

There are a lot of outgoing and outspoken personalities in NASCAR, from Denny Hamlin to Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney to name a few. Bubba Wallace believes he belongs “near the top of the list.”

Wallace appeared on The Breakfast Club earlier this week. During a conversation about challenges he faced in getting sponsorships, Wallace explained why it’s been important for him to be relatable and make a good impression on those he interacts with.

“We look at the sport and the personalities that you have inside our sport and there’s a select few and I feel like I’m near the top of the list of just being personable and likeable despite all the BS that goes on. I’m going to tell you how I feel, and I feel like a lot of us inside our sport are very straight edged and cookie cutter,” Wallace said. “And that’s OK. You don’t want to show your true colors or show your cards, you keep that in your personal life, that’s fine.

“But for me, I’ve always tried to be super relatable to everyone I meet and make a lasting impression to eventually have the investments, and the funding come in. It seemed like nothing we ever did would work and for whatever reason that is, it was what it was, but it never stopped me from pursuing what I wanted to do and fighting hard. Now, I look at the people who potentially said, ‘no, we’re good,’ and just laugh because we’re in a good spot now.”

Bubba Wallace off to fast start in 2025

Wallace calls it like he sees it. With that, you have your fans, and you have your detractors. It comes with the territory, but Wallace is true to himself.

On the racetrack, Wallace is turning into one of the sport’s better drivers. Wallace has tallied back-to-back third place finishes at Homestead and Martinsville, respectively. He sits eighth in the points standings with 98 laps led through seven races. Wallace is inching closer to his third Cup Series victory.

Now, Wallace heads to Darlington, where he finished seventh in 2024 and fifth in 2023. The Lady in Black is no joke, but Wallace looks to be one of the main contenders.