Bubba Wallace recently opened up about making the playoffs this year and how it compares to his previous appearance back in 2023. Wallace noted that he no longer sees himself as an outsider and feels more of a legitimate contender with 'utmost confidence'.Unlike 2023, when Wallace made the playoffs on points, he secured his 2025 berth with a win in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, making him the first black driver to achieve the feat. Wallace recently discussed how the win caused a shift in his mentality in the last few weeks, allowing him to race harder without the pressure of fighting for a playoff spot.He enters the playoffs with a two-point cushion over the cutline at ninth. Although not a massive advantage, it is one point more than reigning champion Joey Logano, and probably enough to survive Round 1 of the playoffs. In 2023, he made it to the Round of 12 before getting knocked out.This year, however, Wallace believes he's not the same driver as he was then. NASCAR reporter Alan Cavanna reported on his recent interview ahead of the playoffs at Darlington."I don't feel like 2023 playoff Bubba or like 'Oh Man, it's cool to be talking to you guys for playoff day,' like I feel like I belong here and want to continue this trend and have the utmost confidence in our team and our ability and our potential to carry this into making a deep run the Playoffs. So, it all starts, it all started back in February but everything just ramps up another notch for the next ten weeks," Wallace said.Bubba Wallace has an impressive track record to back up his claims. Despite seven DNFs across 26 races, the Alabama native has secured 10 Top-10s and led 260 laps in total.Bubba Wallace reveals his strengths and weaknessesHeading into the 2025 Cup Series playoffs, Bubba Wallace spoke to NBC Sports and broke down his strengths and weaknesses. He also noted that his strength isn't something one would usually suspect.“I think mentality is my biggest strength. You guys probably wouldn’t give me that trait a couple of years ago. I feel good where I’m at. I feel confident where I’m at," he said."My weakness – I think is the heat of the moment scenarios. I guess it goes with mentality too – how do you react to that," he added.The playoff format is designed to prevent domination, and this year's lineup has seen a lack of it anyway. No driver has been the clear favorite, and the field is wide open for anyone to contend.That being said, Bubba Wallace has two tracks in the post-season where he has won before, Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway. If he can relive past glory, he stands a serious shot at the title.