Bubba Wallace was all smiles all weekend at New Hampshire. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
By all means, Bubba Wallace has persevered through a trying 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 28-year-old Mobile, Alabama native’s finishes in the past five races were a microcosm to his year, including a 26th at Gateway, 36th at Sonoma, 12th at Nashville, 35th at Road America and 14th at Atlanta.
Certainly, the sixth year Cup racer has been fast, running toward the front of the pack in his No. 23XI Racing Toyota Camry. However, the 2021 fall Talladega race winner has experienced some setbacks, typically not of his doing, including slow pit stops and mechanical ailments.
Following a change in pit crew personnel effective for the summertime Atlanta race, Wallace and crew chief Bootie Barker focused on a complete race weekend.
In this case, Wallace and his No. 23 Draft Kings Toyota Camry were consistently fast in qualifying and race trim. Posting the 11th fastest speed and ninth quickest effort in a 10 lap run, Wallace started fourth from the grid.
Early on, Wallace made some noise, placing second in stage 1 before dropping back to a 10th place finish in stage 2. When it mattered in the final stage, the Alabaman tallied a strong third place finish, his second podium of 2022.
Even with the fast car and consistent, solid pit stops, Wallace recognized the hard work put forth for the podium finish.
The unmistakable No. 23 Toyota Camry of Wallace was lighting fast. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
“A lot. It’s been a down season for us,” Wallace said. “So, it’s finally good to come out on top. Finally got a good race to highlight besides the Daytona 500. So just proud of my team. Proud of everybody back at 23XI.”
Likewise, Wallace praised his No. 23 team, particularly with working on his car to be consistent and fast all race long.
“The Toyotas were strong here. We didn’t really expect that. I didn’t expect that,” he shared. “I thought we’d be a little bit off, but qualifying was good and we made minor adjustments throughout the race and just kept us up near the front and made a really good call on adjustments there on the last stop and just made the most of it.
“So, just proud. Happy? Not really. I’m just proud.”
Pride and happiness certainly go a long way for a driver like Wallace, a diligent, resilient and popular stock car competitor. Beyond basking in a strong, complete race weekend, Wallace understood what he needed to do next time out along with battling two former Cup champions.
Surely, Wallace and crew chief Bootie Barker Jr. are finding raw speed and quality handling. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
“Yeah, no, no. It’s just, we’ve had a lot of speed all year and then we’ve had cars capable of that,” he offered. “So it’s finally good to see that come to fruition and that’s what our races can be like if we continue to do that. So just take a page outta this book for everybody on the team to learn from myself. I made a lot of mistakes today, especially there in the last 20 laps, just trying not to lose focus.
“You got two of the best behind you, Harvick and Truex, and made sure to hit my marks. And so I can go back and watch and know how to do better. And I’m sure we can do better bringing a better car. And just the all around team (effort) we did, we did excellent today. I’m proud of everybody, but we can always do better.”
Now, Wallace and company turn their attention to Sunday’s M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway (3 p.m. ET on USA). Posting finishes of 14th and fifth last year at the 2.5-mile triangular superspeedway, Wallace hopes to keep the upward trend and join the Playoff field with a win in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
