Bubba Wallace started to “write off the ship” after Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola led the Daytona race towards the end

Bubba Wallace has always been a driver in the NASCAR Cup Series who wears his heart on his sleeve. Arguably one of the most polarizing figures in the sport currently, the Mobile, Alabama native has always been one who has had to prove his worth in stock car racing,

Wallace's mental struggles and the influx of social media affecting the #23 Toyota Camry TRD driver are not breaking news by any chance. However, making it into the 2023 postseason on merit is noteworthy for the 23XI Racing driver's online critics.

Bubba Wallace went into last Sunday's regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway full of anticipation. Sitting on the bubble in P16 with a decent cushion over the next drivers, Wallace required a decent day on track without a new winner to qualify.

As Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Chris Buescher took a trip to victory lane, Wallace's P12 finish proved enough for his first playoff appearance. However, the final stages of the race were far from straightforward, with Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola both in position to take away his postseason berth.

Before the RFK Racing boys took over the lead, Wallace elaborated on the helpless feeling he had in the cockpit of his Toyota. He elaborated in an interview with FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass:

"With 10 (laps) to go, the #9 (Elliott) and the #10 (Almirola) were leading and you started getting the pen and paper out to write off the ship. And then you see the #17 and #6 (Buescher and Keselowski) make some moves and you're like, ‘All right, let's put the pen back in the pocket and see what happens.'"

Bubba Wallace might be in uncharted territory for the first time since his five prior seasons in NASCAR. However, if there is one driver who has continually shown signs of improvement over the years, it is Wallace.

"I want to win every single race in the playoffs": Bubba Wallace on how he looks at his postseason bid starting this Sunday

On a recent episode of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Mobile Alabama native and driver of the #23 Toyota in the Cup Series, Bubba Wallace spoke about his postseason aspirations. Highlighting one of the key goals at the start of the season was for him to make the cut, Wallace is ecstatic about whatever more he can achieve in 2023.

He elaborated on his mindset going forward and said:

"We wanted to get to the playoffs and that was the goal for our team. Then everything after that is just a bonus. It's not like we just lay over, but for me, I know that if I do get knocked out I'm going to race like I'm still in it. I want to win every single race in the playoffs, It's not going to happen but we can work hard no matter what the circumstances."

Watch Bubba Wallace compete this Sunday in his first playoffs race at Darlington Raceway.