In the Kansas race, Wallace was leading on the last lap when a move by his team boss, Denny Hamlin, pushed him against the wall. Neither of them won the race, and Chase Elliott took the victory. Wallace would have advanced in the Cup Series playoffs if he had won, but he was eliminated the following week. Wallace, although disappointed, handled his post-career obligations with professionalism. Amanda’s reaction, however, reflected the frustration her husband used to feel. But the current Wallace has come a long way. He is a more approachable pilot who has learned to navigate both his personal and professional life. The most significant change came with the arrival of their son, Becks, in September 2024.Now, it’s Amanda who seems more upset than me after the races. It’s hard to handle because she knows this is what we have and that I have to make it work… After Kansas, I was fine and she was very affected. It’s a little funny.
Bubba Wallace
Wallace has learned to enjoy fatherhood and to realize that his son makes everything more enjoyable. On days when things don’t go well on the track or his championship chances end, it’s not so hard to handle because Becks doesn’t know or care what happened.Bubba is very emotional, and that has been seen in many of his interviews. He had very pronounced ups and downs. Now it seems that the downs are even greater and the downs are never as low as before. We talked after the race and, in the past, if we had a bad day, he would get one-word answers or no answers until the next day. Now I can text him and we joke afterwards, and I think it’s strictly because he’s going back to the bus and sees Becks, or he’s talking on the phone with Becks before we get on the plane. That kid has done a lot for him which is an incredible change for Bubba.
Freddie Kraft, friend and spotter of Wallace
Throughout his career, Wallace allowed what happened on Sundays to consume him for the rest of the week, affecting his mental attitude both on and off the track. He has spoken openly about his experiences with mental health, including depression, although he has never spoken of being officially diagnosed. Most of the work to become stronger has been done by himself.You don’t think about those things at that moment. You hold on to when you’re with him or with Amanda and nothing else matters. I could be here talking to you, but thinking about practice and qualifying. You’re consumed by that. You can’t be changing a diaper and thinking about qualifying. It doesn’t work. It’s nice to have that now.
Bubba Wallace
The frustration behind the wheel led to difficult situations to overcome. Wallace mentally struggled with how badly things could go after entering a race with high expectations, leading him to make one bad decision after another, culminating in a mediocre day. Kraft watched him from above the track and listened to him on the radio, knowing when Wallace was getting into his own head.Look, they screw me if I have a bad day and I go out and say I had a bad day. [People say] that I’m complaining. No, I’m stating the facts. Part of me bites my tongue and accepts it, but at the same time, everyone is frustrated and we’ve been frustrated for three hours. There’s no need to add more to it. The frustration that would come in was that I would look at our team and ask myself: ‘Why are we the only ones who can’t solve it?’
Bubba Wallace
How times change. How far Wallace has come. Something that also catches his attention.Bubba WallaceNaturally, succeeding on the track further helps their attitude off it.Bubba WallaceHow times change. How far Wallace has come. Something that also catches his attention.Bubba WallaceHamlin has also been impressed. “Bubba’s transformation in recent years, I can’t believe it, honestly. The maturity he has shown. He has been the leading car at 23XI, really throughout the year. I think [Tyler Reddick] might surpass him in average finish because he doesn’t have as many DNFs, but the 23 has been the fastest car we have. And that’s something I can’t believe. Whether it’s Charles Denike and his setups or Bubba’s mindset, something changed there that has turned Bubba into someone you’ll have to compete with every week… I couldn’t be [more proud] of that 23 team and what they’re doing week after week.Denny HamlinWith three races remaining in the season, Wallace is tenth in the standings and could be on his way to his best season in the Cup Series, at least statistically. Perhaps it already is due to Wallace’s remarkable personal progression, as well as the team’s growth, with performances that don’t always translate into the results sheet (such as laps led, stage points won, average position during the race, and speed). Reddick reaching the Championship 4 a year ago showed Wallace the potential he had, and that was his motivation to enter 2025. In fact, Wallace has backed a social media post he made in January, sharing that “the mindset is at its highest point” and that “he couldn’t be happier” after taking responsibility for being better and doing better after two seasons of getting “beat up”. Naturally, succeeding on the track further helps their attitude off it.Bubba WallaceHow times change. How far Wallace has come. Something that also catches his attention.Bubba WallaceNow he realizes that he belongs as a guy who runs up front and the cars are capable of running up front. Even when we don’t have a great start or have a penalty, something that puts us at a disadvantage, we have enough talent and car to get back up front. [Team boss Charles Denike] has done a great job of improving his mindset about it. It’s always fun to be around Bubba, but this year has definitely been a little more fun.
Freddie Kraft
