Bubba Wallace delivers his clear stance on Kurt Busch’s NASCAR Hall of Fame induction

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was recently featured in an interview with Frontstretch Media ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 race. During the interaction, Wallace shared his thoughts on his former teammate Kurt Busch's Hall of Fame induction.

Earlier this week, NASCAR announced the new members of the Hall of Fame class for 2026, featuring Kurt Busch. The former NASCAR Cup Series driver had a successful career, securing 34 wins, 161 top-five, and 339 top-ten finishes in 776 starts. Additionally, he won the 2004 Cup Series championship and secured 28 poles in his 23-year stint.

Busch switched multiple teams during his NASCAR tenure and also competed for 23XI Racing during the 2022 season. Bubba Wallace and the former NASCAR Cup Series champion competed alongside each other for the season. Recalling his memories, Wallace told the reporter that his former teammate "deserved" the induction. He said (via X):

"Yeah, it was cool to hear that first he was dominated and then to get accepted. It was really wonderful. Slightly, there was awesome. So we've shared a couple of texts. He's super excited, proud of him, honored to call him a friend but also a teammate. Yeah, I think it’s well-deserving for sure." [01:15 onwards]

During the 2022 season, Kurt Busch drove the #45 Chevy and finished in P30, securing one win, five top-five, and eight top-ten finishes. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace wrapped up the season in P19 with one win, five top fives, and ten top tens.

---

Bubba Wallace candidly opened up about being under pressure from his teammate's success on a NASCAR veteran's podcast

Earlier this year, the Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace appeared on NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick's 'Happy Hour' podcast. During the interaction, the duo talked about Wallace feeling pressurized from his teammate Tyler Reddick's success in the 2025 season.

Reflecting upon the same, the #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver stated:

"Seeing the success of the 45, not from a jealousy standpoint, but it's like 'I have the same stuff,' and I feel like I'm just as competitive as Tyler. I put all that weight on me, that pressure on me. So, I'm back in the gym, and nobody's telling me, 'Hey, you need to work out to run better; you need to be in more meetings to understand better.' I took that upon myself as, like, 'I'm doing just enough to get by, and that's not okay," explained Wallace. [05:20 onwards]

Bubba Wallace ranks tenth in the Cup Series championship points table with 310 points to his name. He has secured four top-ten and two top-five finishes in 12 starts this season. Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick ranks sixth, four spots above Wallace on the leaderboard, with 357 points. Reddick secured four top-ten and three top-five finishes with a pole position at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in 12 starts.