"Hey, man, I’ve been here" - Kurt Busch knows what Bubba Wallace Jr.'s frustrations feel like

Kurt Busch, who has plenty of experience in NASCAR’s top series, has gone through many difficult situations in his two-decade long career. Hence, the 43-year-old knows Bubba Wallace Jr.’s frustrations, having had similar blowups on the radio in his career as much as Wallace Jr. had with his crew chief last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

A few days later, Busch spoke with reporters about the incident and came in support of his teammate. Busch himself faced similar challenges back in his career when he started out. He clearly understands what the driver has to go through when the same mistakes happen over and over again.

Busch said:

“I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I’ve been here. I’m right there with you. I’m a racer. I’m passionate. We just have to get to that next level of professionalism. I’ve made those mistakes, and he’s making those mistakes and yet, it’s still a matter of just relying on all the elements and all people within the team.”

He continued:

“So yes, I’m involved. But Bootie Barker is the leader of that 23 car. You know, we’ve got Denny (Hamlin) as our team owner and (Michael Jordan). Everybody’s circling around on what the real core issue is. And that’s the consistency on the pitstops with the 23 car. So Bubba is right, but we just got to get that problem fixed. And we got to handle it the right way.”

Wallace Jr. finished P7 in the Stage 1, but the drama started in the second stage when his crew chief Bootie Barker stopped him due to a loose wheel. Unfortunately, he was hit from behind by Tyler Reddick. By the time he returned to pit road and solved the problem, he had lost momentum and was a lap down. After returning to the track, the #23 driver vented his frustration on the radio.

Wallace has been dealing with pit crew issues for a while. If he wants to finish higher in the upcoming weekend, he will have to work with his team to get in front of these issues.

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Kurt Busch wishes he would have learned more from Mark Martin at the beginning of his career

Kurt Busch revealed that the support he is giving Wallace Jr. currently is what he received earlier in his career from his former teammate Mark Martin when he was a part of RFK Racing. This may be one of the reasons Busch was bought to 23XI Racing to share his experience and understanding of the race with Wallace.

Busch said:

“Early in my career, I just, I wish I would have comprehended more from Mark Martin. He was always there to help. When I asked questions, and when he would give advice, it was genuine.”

Catch Kurt Busch and 23XI Racing at Road America on Sunday, July 3, 2022.