[autotag]Bubba Wallace[/autotag] left Kansas Speedway, the second race of the Round of 16, with a disappointing 19-point deficit after an incident during Stage 2. The idea of making the final transfer spot wasn’t an impossible task but it would certainly be difficult. Well, Wallace found himself in a way better position following a third-place finish in Stage 1 and a Joey Logano wreck.
The 23XI Racing driver had a strong night at Bristol Motor Speedway and finished in 14th place, which was good enough to advance to the Round of 12. It was a very impressive performance by Wallace as he was able to claw his way out of a hole that seemed very deep. After the race, Wallace was asked about his night at Bristol.
“Good, I love that (expletive) right there,” Wallace said. “Counting us out. Like Coco Gauff said, all they’re doing is adding fuel to the fire. I love it. I love where I’m at with this team. Wish my mom, dad, sister were here to celebrate with me. I mean, a career year. Just got to keep it going. Appreciate all the partners involved. Columbia has done great when they’re on the car. Hated it for them last week.”
Bubba Wallace emotional after advancing. pic.twitter.com/3fLq31oTGE
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) September 17, 2023
“I’m mentally exhausted. I’m wore out. Gave it our all there. Battled hard and executed. That’s what you got to do. We know next week’s a reset. We just got to go out and have some fun, work our asses off. Thank you to the ones that believe in me. Keep it going. Yeah, on to next week.”
The next round seems to set up well for Wallace as Texas Motor Speedway should be a strong track for the Toyota drivers while Talladega Superspeedway was the site of his first win. Many people have counted out Wallace to this point but he continues to prove them wrong. It wouldn’t be shocking to see another situation like this in three weeks.
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