Bubba Wallace talks IMSA race, why he believes in himself heading into 2024 NASCAR season
Despite an unfortunate ending to his stint in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Bubba Wallace has all of the confidence for 2024. The NASCAR driver is ready to get to work this season after finishing 10th in the Cup Series standings.
Driving for Smooge Racing at Daytona, Wallace took over the Toyota Supra first. He had a solid start. His restarts are just as good in IMSA as they are in NASCAR. However, after blowing a right rear tire, he would pull into pit road driving on his wheel.
After the incident, Bubba Wallace joined the Peacock booth with Jeff Burton and Marty Snider, to talk about his IMSA experience and preview the NASCAR season.
“So it took me a couple of days to figure that out and start to maximize braking zones,” Wallace said of his practice sessions. “Man, the BOP stuff we were talking about earlier is crazy. I still don’t know what the hell it means. But everybody sandbags and they show their full hand when it comes to race time. So, it’s been interesting to just grow inside the garage with Smooge Racing and Toyota. Appreciate the opportunity, it was fun. I kinda wish I could get back out there and redeem myself. Restarts were fun.”
Then, Wallace went through what led him to Daytona in January. He’s never raced IMSA before, why now?
“There’s never enough seat time, no matter where you’re at, no matter how many wins you have,” the driver explained. “And I look at, when I sent the text to Toyota after Indy Road Course, Watkins Glen was next weekend. We saw that I lost 30 points at Indy. I was 28 points up going into The Glen.
“We knew that coming here [to Daytona] we were going to have a 0-point cushion. We survived Watkins Glen, had a really good road race. Fast forward to the Roval, qualified fourth, surprised myself there, and had a really good day until my buddy Suárez decided to take us out. … But I look at those two races and I think ‘Sweet, we’re making gains.'”
For those reasons and more, Bubba Wallace is ready for 2024.
Bubba Wallace believes in his team, and himself
On his Peacock appearance, Wallace talked about IMSA challenges, his last season in NASCAR, and why he’s looking forward to getting back to racing this year. After a career-best season, Wallace, who admittedly gets in his own head too much, is finally seeing clearly.
Talking to his crew chief, talking to his 23XI Racing team – Wallace is convinced. Not just what his team can accomplish, but what he can accomplish himself.
“Now it’s just like, taking a step back, taking a deep breath,” Wallace said. “We know the people we have, everybody at AirSpeed, we know the cars that we have, everybody with Toyota, we know the driver, I believe in myself. Just let it come to you and just have fun.”
In 2024, the goals are simple for Bubba Wallace. He needs to win a race, make the playoffs, and go as far as he can. Starting the season strong and improving on road courses could elevate him to a Round of 8 or better this season.