Bubba Wallace responds to Bristol boos: ‘Go Big Orange’
Among the chorus of boos that were coming down from The Last Great Colosseum, Bubba Wallace embraced it, and leaned into it. The NASCAR driver also tried to confuse the folks in the stands by shouting out his Tennessee Volunteers.
Bristol Night Race. This is the quintessential NASCAR race. Short track racing on the high banks.
Bubba Wallace might have gotten a ton of boos and jeers, but he tried to play to the crowd. A nice Tyler Childers intro as well.
Bubba Wallace has a personal connection to the University of Tennessee. His mom ran Track & Field there. So, speed has always been the family business. He just does it in a car and much much faster. I bet his mom could still give him a run for his money in a 40-yard dash, though.
Entering tonight’s race, Wallace won’t be focused on what the fans are saying. He barely missed out on the top-10 in qualifying. So, his job is to go out there and do his best to move up through the field and get in position to play spoiler.
Without a win on the season that is more or less the only goal in these final eight races of the season. That next opportunity is tonight in Bristol. He has only a single top-10 at The Last Great Colosseum and he is hoping that will change tonight.
Bubba Wallace looking to play spoiler
Just like all of the other non-playoff drivers, Bubba Wallace would love nothing more than to block out a playoff driver from an auto-bid into the Round of 12. They are the chaos agents in the field and looking to break hearts and end championship runs.
Wallace’s boss, Denny Hamlin, needs a big day. He starts P8 tonight after a solid qualifying run. Wallace is P11. Perhaps the two will be able to work together. Wallace starts next to Ross Chastain, those are two drivers who are both capable of winning a race or two in the postseason. Is tonight the night?
There are a lot of storylines going on. Joey Logano is the only driver that is locked into the Round of 12. There are others who will be able to lock themselves in throughout the night. Picking up stage points and finishing in the top-10 are on the minds of every playoff driver. But there aren’t enough spots for that.
This is a big night. One of the Crown Jewels of the sport. Bristol Night Race. Will Bubba Wallace have the race of his career and walk away as a spoiler? It would be a great way to prove he has earned that contract extension.