"I had a bodyguard walk me": When Bubba Wallace shared Richard Petty’s emotional celebration at Daytona

Richard Petty gave Bubba Wallace his shot at NASCAR's premier series and was involved in the Alabama-born driver's results at every race weekend. Moreover, after the qualifying duel at Daytona International Speedway in 2018, where he finished third, Petty walked him over to the media pen, leading Wallace to share how a bodyguard in the form of the seven-time champion strolled him down the garage.

Wallace's journey in the stock car racing series began in the early 2010s. Though his first start in the Cup Series came in 2017, when he substituted for an injured Aric Almirola. Moreover, when the latter left RPM, Bubba Wallace was called up for the job.

While Wallace did not have a solitary top-10 finish yet, this was soon about to change at the opening race weekend. At the qualifying duel, the then-No. 43 driver gained 10 spots to finish third at the checkered flag.

Ecstatic with his driver's performance, Richard Petty went down to Wallace and accompanied him to the media section. Talking about the achievement in 2018 and how excited the 200-time race winner was, the Alabama-born driver said, via NASCAR's official website:

"I had a bodyguard walk me from the car to here; his name was Richard Petty. I have never seen him that excited before. That was the coolest thing… Sunglasses were off. Got to see how much he was truly excited about that. That is probably the highlight of the night, better than finishing third… Felt like we just won the race, as proud as he was."

In the same weekend, Bubba Wallace scored a second-place result at his debut Daytona 500, a result that he replicated in 2022.

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Bubba Wallace once quoted Richard Petty to explain the nooks and crannies of racing

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace at the Go Bowling at The Glen - Source: Imagn

Bubba Wallace raced for Richard Petty's team for three-plus years. This meant that he had formed a warm bond with the 88-year-old before he left the squad for 23XI Racing in 2021.

Reflecting on the racing venture and how closely he aligned with the task, Wallace shared his team boss' motto in an interview in 2020, as he said, via the Wall Street Journal:

"It’s like Richard Petty always said, ‘Racing isn’t the job. That’s where we get away from our job.’ That’s where we go out and have fun and get away from the madness. No one can bother you in there. There’s no phones, no interviews — it’s just you, driving."

On the other hand, RPM folded operations in 2021, while Wallace continued in the series. The 31-year-old is now a three-time race winner and is destined to take part in the 2025 postseason after winning the Brickyard 400 earlier in the year.