"I don't appreciate that": Bubba Wallace recalls Denny Hamlin's 'not cool' remarks that sparked a personal fallout

When asked to recall a driver run-in that went under the radar, Bubba Wallace pointed back to a moment in 2018 with his now co-owner, Denny Hamlin. The Daytona 500 clash, where Wallace felt Hamlin crossed a line with comments that impacted him beyond the racetrack.

The roots of the dispute came in the final lap of the Great American Race. Wallace and Hamlin locked fenders in a fight for second, crashing across the line as Wallace claimed a runner-up in his Daytona 500 debut. Hamlin, who finished third, had then stirred conversation on a podcast by joking that most drivers take Adderall to maintain focus.

When Wallace quipped on TV that Hamlin “might need to take some Adderall for that one,” what started as an on-track rivalry quickly spiraled into a larger issue inside the garage. Speaking on The Athletic’s 12 Questions podcast, Wallace revisited the moment and said:

"There you go, that’s one. Denny still says I blew his tire (at) the finish in the 500.... I took it and ran with that, and I tried to tell him that. But he mentioned something about Adderall. Remember that whole Adderall thing? I got a call from a sponsor, like, ‘Hey, are you on it?’ It was something that snowballed into something much bigger. So I’m like, ‘Dude, what the f**k? You’re putting us in a bad spot because you said 90 percent of the drivers are on Adderall. Not cool. I don’t appreciate that."

The Daytona contact was only the start. The following week in Atlanta, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin tried to hash it out but found themselves in a heated confrontation instead.

Denny Hamlin (11) leads Bubba Wallace Jr. during the 2018 Daytona 500. Source: Imagn

"He said, ‘You think I need an f**king PR lesson from you?’ Typical Denny. He would probably still say that today. Then we get to Atlanta to talk it out, and we did the opposite of that," Wallace added.

Fast forward seven years, and Wallace drives No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan. While the Daytona tensions have long faded, Hamlin has never fully conceded his side of the story. For Wallace, it remains one of those early-career lessons in how words carry weight far beyond the track.

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Bubba Wallace primes for his deepest Playoffs run yet

Charles Denike and Bubba Wallace celebrate the Brickyard 400. Source: Imagn

Bubba Wallace stands on the cusp of his best NASCAR Cup campaign yet. Back in 2023, the No. 23 driver finished in the Round of 12, 10th in the final standings. This season, his numbers show a driver ready to take the next step.

Throughout 2025, Wallace’s pace has placed him near the front of the field. His No. 23 Toyota has been consistently fast, supported by a pit crew ranked second overall in the regular season. Statistically, Wallace has been one of the most balanced drivers: seventh in passing, ninth in defense, eighth in speed, and third on restarts (via Racing Insights).

The one piece missing has been execution in key moments, something Wallace has acknowledged. Otherwise, he has all the tools to deliver a deep run.

That strength was on display last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. Wallace entered Gateway already 25 points above the cutline after a sixth-place finish at Darlington. He left with double the cushion, sitting 50 points clear of elimination after finishing eighth and collecting 15 stage points, including a Stage 2 win that added a playoff point to his tally.

Now, Bristol looms. The Round of 16 eliminator has often been unpredictable, and Wallace’s record there is modest, averaging 19.2 in 12 starts at the Tennessee short track. But he arrives in career-best form, with six top-10s in his last eight races and momentum pushing him forward.

For Bubba Wallace, Saturday night is an opportunity to cement himself as a Round of 12 lock and perhaps show that his playoff story is just beginning.