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Bubba Wallace Jr. had a silent outing this Sunday at the Pheonix Raceway. The 23XI driver drove his No. 23 ROOTS Insurance Toyota Camry to twenty-second place at Ruoff Mortgage 500.
After finishing second in the season's opening race at Daytona International Raceway, Wallace Jr. has finished several races at the back of the pack. The 28-year-old finished in nineteenth and twenty-fifth in the Auto Club 400, and Pennzoil 400 respectively.
Meanwhile, teammate Kurt Busch has consistently out-performed Wallace Jr. since the Daytona 500.
Busch finished eighth and thirteenth in the Auto Club 400 and Pennzoil 400, respectively. The 43-year-old veteran drove his No. 45 Toyota to fifth place in the Ruoff Mortgage 500 this weekend.
Being the only African-American on the NASCAR grid, Wallace Jr. has led the way in terms of inclusion in the sport. 2020 was the defining year of his career as he stepped up and took a stand against racism.
Since then, Bubba has been on an upward trajectory but needs more consistency in his performances.
Bubba Wallace Jr. on his relationship with his father
Bubba Wallace Jr. is known to be one of the most outspoken drivers on the NASCAR grid today.
He has never shied away from commenting on uncomfortable topics, such as racism or depression. With the Netflix docu-series Race Bubba Wallace Jr. out, the driver's relationship with his father has also been in the limelight.
Wallace Jr.'s father refused to be interviewed for the docu-series, where most of his family, friends and colleagues can be seen. The father-son duo haven't had the best relationship for the past few years.
However, the tides seem to be turning since the release of the Netflix docu-series, as Wallace Jr., in an interview with CBS, said:
"To be honest with you, the docu-series just came out, and shortly after I received a text message from my father, a very positive text message, that surprised me, but my family and I were praying for it. So I think we’re starting to rekindle.”
Hopefully things continue to go in favor of the Toyota driver in the future.
