In the final three contests of the regular season, Bubba Wallace is currently targeting his second straight playoff season. Last season, Wallace qualified for the playoffs for the first time in his career and appears to be on track to do so again this year. He is currently 16th in the standings, just 3 points ahead of Ross Chastain.
Despite the narrow margin, the No. 23 driver is confident of his playoff hopes going into the next three races. When asked on Saturday if he felt good for the final three races of the season, Wallace said:
“Yes of course. “The last five races I’ve finished in the top 3. The motivation is there, but it’s in the past. It’s like Chase (Elliott) said a few years ago: ‘Past success does not mean future success.’ opportunity,” he said [at 12:25 p.m.].
Bubba Wallace noted that he is glad the next three races will not be road races, although he is enjoying his time on the road courses this year. Wallace said the next three songs are “good tracks,” which help keep the momentum going. Wallace also talked about the increased “load” that came with the end of the season, but expressed confidence that his team will overcome it. “We have enough great people on this team to get here and take advantage of it,” he added.
Bubba Wallace opens in tag team no. 23 that will find more stability in 2024
When a reporter asked Bubba Wallace what was the key to the team’s consistency No. 23 this year, Wallace said it was because they took things easy and overcame the problems. So far this season, Wallace has recorded two consecutive top-5 finishes, including in the last two races.
Wallace said not letting disappointing results get him down and focusing on producing results on good days has allowed him to be consistent regardless of the situation. “We showed a lot of speed in the last weeks. We showed a lot of concentration and we were close to the goal on several occasions. I said it at the beginning of the year: you have to keep putting your name in the hat, and we go a long time without even having the right size hat. You absolutely have to see and be in the game, from the start of practice to the end of the race, which is so difficult to do every weekend, that’s our main goal : to be in the game and not”. you’re not in the game until the green flag drops,” he described [2:10].
Wallace said that in the new generation era, drivers should approach their race car keeping in mind the unpredictability of racing. The 30-year-old pilot then emphasized the importance of track positions, as overtaking is very difficult to achieve, as a single mistake can be very costly. The 23XI driver added that he did a lot of things to lose track positions, but recently the #23 team is synchronizing better and making good progress. Wallace concluded his argument by reiterating the importance of avoiding any form of complacency or relying on past results as a parameter for future results.
