“Have to work your tail off”: Bubba Wallace gets real about ‘sacrifices’ of racing at NASCAR’s highest level

Bubba Wallace has opened up on the demanding grind of competing at NASCAR's top level. He reflected on the toll it takes and acknowledged that he missed out on 'a lot of family time'.

Wallace has been a Cup Series regular since 2018 and has been even longer committed to his wife, Amanda. The couple had their first child, a boy, last year, but he has yet to turn one.

The No.23 driver recently had a special moment with his son when he recreated the scene from 'The Lion King' after his Brickyard win. NASCAR shared the clip on X and remarked that the series is a 'family sport'.

Reflecting the same, Wallace sat for an interview with ABC News and spoke about balancing work and family.

"Definitely a lot of work. You know, if you want to be at the top level of anything, this is for any kid that that wants to aspire to be at the top level. You have to work your tail off and you you have to sacrifice a lot," he said [3:30 onwards].

"And sometimes that's a lot of family time at home. Especially when you get older and start having kids, you miss out on a lot of important moments, but the best you can stay grounded and close to home, the better," Bubba Wallace added.

NASCAR's gruelling calendar only allows a weekend off during the regular season, although next year's schedule promises one more. This year's break happened during the Easter weekend, and Amanda shared their son's first Easter Egg hunt on social media.

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Kevin Harvick claims Bubba Wallace has fared better than Tyler Reddick

Following Bubba Wallace's race-high 123-lap lead at Richmond, Kevin Harvick deemed the 23XL driver superior on pace compared to his teammate, Tyler Reddick. Although a pitstop mishap derailed his run and placed him among the backmarkers, Wallace's racecraft has seen a significant bump since his Brickyard win.

Notably, the Alabama native had a remarkable comeback at Iowa Speedway, where he chased the field from outside the top-30 and finished sixth.

"I think the performance of the 23 is better than the 45. I think that Reddick figures out how to finish races and do the things that he needs to do and and his experience is starting to show in the series, but I still don't see Tyler Reddick as what he was last year from a race-winning capability," Harvick said on the latest episode of Happy Hour podcast. [28:26 onwards].

Tyler Reddick's consistent season sees him rank better than Bubba Wallace, placing him three spots ahead in the standings. However, Wallace holds one more top-10 finish than Reddick, despite enduring six DNFs across 25 starts.