“Our name is in the hat”: Bubba Wallace makes his feelings known with major turnaround ahead of NASCAR summer schedule 

Bubba Wallace is one of the drivers still vying for their maiden win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. However, the good news is that he is confident and excited about the sport’s summer stretch, starting with the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, scheduled for Sunday, June 1.

12 races into the season, Wallace owns two top-fives and four top-10s, leading 103 laps overall. He sits 10th in the championship standings with 310 points to his name. His 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick is sixth on that list with 357 points.

Wallace thinks that he has been quite strong at mile-and-a-half tracks like Kansas and Texas. Reflecting on the same during a recent interview (via Racer), the Alabama native said,

“I was really happy with the car the first 30 laps of Kansas; we had our penalty and then were mired back in traffic and weren't the same there. But I was really happy with how the weekend went. Texas – really happy with how the weekend went up until we crashed.“

“But we’re getting stage points now, we’re competitive, our name is in the hat. We just now have to close out the deal. I think through the summer stretch, yes, I’m excited for what’s next,” he added.

Bubba Wallace is all set for his upcoming race, the 66th Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Memorial Day weekend. Scheduled for May 25, the 400-lap event will stream exclusively on Prime Video, 6 pm ET onwards. Fans can listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio as well.

Fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell happens to be the defending champion of the crown jewel race. He won last week’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Although it was an exhibition-style event, some would say winning it placed the JGR driver on a winning trajectory.

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“We listen and don’t judge”- Bubba Wallace shoots fake fire at his spotter

Days ahead of the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Bubba Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared his thoughts on rewatching races at the car racing venue in Alabama. Wallace, on the other hand, chose to fire shots at Kraft, although in a very lighthearted manner.

Kraft wrote in his post,

“Rewatching races at Talladega is bad for the blood pressure. Especially when you can see the mistakes you made coming all over again.”

Bubba Wallace shared the post on his feed with the following caption:

“You make mistakes?? Never thought we’d hear that..Remember 1st step is admitting. Proud of you buddy. Takes a lot of courage and apparently 15 years..We listen and don’t judge.”

Wallace and Kraft have been friends since 2010, when Wallace used to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The chemistry between the two led the driver to a pair of victories at Talladega (2021) and Kansas (2022), the only two times he won in the NASCAR Cup Series.