Bubba Wallace doesn’t hide his frustration despite good turnaround at Nashville

Bubba Wallace has expressed his frustrations despite a top-10 finish at Nashville Superspeedway. The 23XI driver languished over an early penalty that held him back during the 300-lap event.

Driving the No.23 Toyota Camry, Wallace began the Cracker Barrel 400 two spots shy of the top 10. However, he faced his third pit-road penalty of the season and dropped a lap behind during the first stage, finishing 29th.

Fortunately, Wallace was helped by a free pass on lap 107 and rejoined the lead pack to finish 18th in the second stage. At his best, Wallace was running in fourth during the third stage, before settling for a sixth-place finish and logging his season's fifth top-10 result.

Speaking to the media post-race, Wallace, who had three back-to-back DNFs before Nashville, reflected on the day's turn of events, saying (via Daily Express US):

"God almighty, it was a great day. I hate that we got our speeding penalty. I thought I ran my lights [on the dash]. We can go back to the shop and double-check it to see if I messed up. It’s frustrating because I knew our car was fast. It was nice to methodically carve our way through the field and make passes."

The results mark Bubba Wallace's second-best finish this season. As such, he gained two spots on the drivers' standings and rounds out the top-10 with 343 points. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, finished three spots below him and dropped a place from his fifth-place ranking.

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Bubba Wallace confident in continuing impressive form

Bubba Wallace's return to form at Nashville Superspeedway comes after his three consecutive DNFs starting from Texas. The 23XI driver shared that he may have 'jinxed' himself after a pair of third-place results at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville.

“After those back-to-back top-three finishes, I expected that every week, and I think that may have jinxed us, I hope I didn’t say that again and jinx us again,” he said via Daily Express US.

Nonetheless, the Alabama native remained optimistic about the upcoming rounds, stating:

"I have the utmost confidence in this team to continue to get finishes like this in a consistent manner, not the bouncing back and forth that everybody is used to out of the No. 23.We just had shit luck the last month, so I’m glad May is over with.”

With 12 races remaining in the season, Bubba Wallace is ranked 12th in the playoff standings with 54 points above the cut. He failed to make the postseason cut last year, but looks to bounce back if he continues his current run of form. He last qualified for the playoffs in 2023. Up next, he heads to the Michigan International Speedway, where he has led multiple laps and recorded a best second-place finish.