Bubba Wallace shared Kyle Busch's advice from 10 years ago that helped him win at Talladega
Bubba Wallace on his mindset during his first NASCAR Cup Series race win Monday at Talladega.
After starting back in 19th in Monday’s rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, Bubba Wallace worked his way to the front of the field to win his first race at the sport’s highest level.
He was patient, avoided the huge wrecks the longest NASCAR track is known for and made his way to the leading group of drivers. But rain was returning to the Alabama track, and once the race was more than halfway over, if weather prevented it from continuing, the leader at the time would be the winner.
“Everybody knew it was going to rain,” Wallace said Tuesday after his win. “We knew we had to make a move to get out and the caution came at the right time.”
Wallace’s win wasn’t by chance or a happy accident. He and his No. 23 Toyota team knew the race was more than halfway over and the impact the weather could have on it, so he held onto that lead tight for the checkered flag.
But the 27-year-old driver also had decade-old advice from Kyle Busch — who Wallace used to race for in the third-tier Truck Series – in the back of his mind about controlling his own destiny, he explained.
We saw what @BubbaWallace did. I asked about the “how”
– Big block on Brad
– A decision NOT to block Joey.“Control your own destiny,” Bubba says.
Advice he got from @KyleBusch ten years ago… pic.twitter.com/0d4Ov8uDHZ
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) October 4, 2021
At his post-race press conference, Wallace recalled:
“I remember [in] 2011, a driver told me that on the grid at New Hampshire [Motor Speedway]. It was Kyle Busch. He said, ‘Control your own destiny.’ And I didn’t know what the hell that meant at the time. I was just pumped to be talking to Kyle. But it comes down to these plate races, you’re controlling your own destiny.
“There’s a lot of teamwork out there you can go by and a lot of team orders. But at the end of the day, you’re controlling your own destiny. You’re trying to do the best that you can for your team, your sponsors, to put yourself in moments like this.”
With rain looming after the race’s halfway point, Wallace made a move. By Lap 109, he was running in the top six. By Lap 113, he was leading one line of cars and fighting with Kurt Busch — his future 23XI Racing teammate next season who was in front of the other line — for the top position.
By the end of Lap 113, Wallace had the lead outright, threw a huge block on Brad Keselowski and stayed in front of the pack with momentum. And then a wreck behind him barely beat the rain, and the yellow caution flag came out, followed by a red-flag halt because it was raining.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, we’re in position here,'” Wallace recalled about the moment right after the final wreck. “The caution is going to come out, we’ll be fine. Just try to do your best at controlling your destiny.”
The weather didn’t clear up, the race couldn’t continue, and NASCAR declared Wallace the winner at his “home” track. The victory was a huge moment for Wallace and 23XI Racing in its debut season, and there were a lot of post-race celebrations.
THE WINNING MOMENT.@BubbaWallace | @23XIRacing pic.twitter.com/sXiOppkxHN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 4, 2021