Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. had a solid first race of the NASCAR Cup Series’ doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet driver earned his fourth top-10 finish of the season and second in about a month, coming in ninth in Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400.
And when the 26-year-old driver — who could potentially become a free agent at the end of the 2020 season — was asked about a quick turnaround for Sunday’s race at Michigan, the Consumers Energy 400, he teased “a big deal on the line right now” for him.
After his ninth-place finish in the FireKeepers Casino 400 — which Kevin Harvick won — Wallace told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider:
“Say a prayer for us. Everybody say a prayer for us. There’s a big deal on the line right now, and this could only help so much. I have yet to check my phone to see the status of it, but this will send us over the top if we can get it done.
“So it’s been a lot of hard work off the race track for my team and everybody involved, to make things better. And that’s what we’re trying to do. So putting solid runs together and having awesome restarts all night, this is only going to help the effort. So I’m definitely smiling. So it’s a good deal.”
A solid top-ten run for @BubbaWallace puts him back in the top 20 in the standings.
Bubba also teased a "big deal" off the track. pic.twitter.com/PEDzU9q8CJ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 9, 2020
Earlier this month, Richard Petty Motorsports co-owner Andrew Murstein said the team is in contract extension talks with Wallace, and the terms include a rare team ownership stake. However, it’s unclear if that’s what Wallace spoke aboutSaturday or if he was referring to something else.
Wallace is in his third full-time Cup Series season, and he’s only competed for Richard Petty Motorsports. He has yet to win a race and only earned two top-5 finishes overall, but his four top-10s in 2020 are the most he’s had in a single season.
Prior to Saturday’s race, Wallace told FrontStretch.com he’s looking for a family atmosphere with a team, and on that level, Richard Petty Motorsports has “half the puzzle there.” But he’s also looking for a team capable of actually winning races, and “we just have to get our cars better and more competitive to seal that deal.”
In his brief post-race interview with NBC Sports after the first Michigan race, Wallace spoke more about his potential free agency, or what’s known in NASCAR as the “silly season,” saying:
“We’re in the middle of ‘silly season’ right now, so my mind is there, it’s here. So to come out with a solid top-10 finish for us is positive. We’ve got a lot of work to do. I was not happy with the car, but I think that’s the racer mentality. I don’t know if (Kevin) Harvick’s happy about his car either. We always strive to be better, but all in all, a solid day.”
Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway is at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
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