Bubba Wallace, a 23XI Racing driver, recently addressed the public perception of him being “cocky and arrogant” in an interview with Rubbin is Racing. He said that his approach to people is to have fun and poke fun at them.The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has been a battle of success, consistency, and survival on the part of Bubba Wallace. He carried that speed into the start of 2025 by winning Duel 1 at Daytona, which put him on a competitive track as the season matured. Whereas the Daytona 500 itself did not bring the finest results with a DNF, Wallace made pretty good progress at such venues as Homestead, where he challenged for the win only to get beaten to the finish line late by Alex Bowman. Wallace won at Indianapolis on June 27, his third career victory, holding off Kyle Larson after two rain-related cautions to be the first black driver to triumph in a major event on the historical IMS oval.Bubba Wallace addressed perceptions of him by explaining that his personality is rooted in straightforwardness and humor with those around him. He said that his way of interacting, calling people out and poking fun, is consistent with how he treats everyone with whom he has a relationship. In an interview with Rubbin is Racing, Bubba said:"You embrace it and that's how I am and I try not to be you know sometimes it can be I guess labeled as me being cocky or arrogant or me being a jerk or an a**hole and it's like man I'm just here to have fun and poke fun and and you know I know when it's time to be serious and and when it's not but I don't know of a bigger shi*-talker than me in the garage."By the numbers, Wallace has had a solid year, finishing with one win, ten top-10s, four top-fives, and 259 led laps over his 25 race competitions. He has not been taking pole positions, but has proven his capability of recovering and salvaging bad days, including six DNFs and a lowest finish of 36th, to have an average finish of 18.16. Being the driver of 23XI Racing, Wallace has managed to maintain a realistic chance to make it to the playoffs through his consistent points collection and ability to seal his chances in races where things like entering the pits in reverse are frequently the only options.Bubba Wallace gets real about ‘sacrifices’ of racing at NASCAR’s highest levelBubba Wallace has discussed the significant sacrifices required to compete at NASCAR’s highest level. In a recent interview, he reflected on the sheer amount of work and dedication necessary to reach and stay at the sport’s pinnacle, acknowledging that pursuing this dream means missing out on a lot of family time. Wallace, who became a Cup Series regular in 2018 and has a young son with his wife, Amanda, emphasized the importance of staying grounded and close to family despite the relentless demands of the racing calendar, which offers very few breaks during the regular season."Definitely a lot of work. You know, if you want to be at the top level of anything, this is for any kid that that wants to aspire to be at the top level. You have to work your tail off and you have to sacrifice a lot," he said in an interview with ABC News [3:30 onwards]."And sometimes that's a lot of family time at home. Especially when you get older and start having kids, you miss out on a lot of important moments, but the best you can stay grounded and close to home, the better," Bubba Wallace added.Despite the grueling schedule and sacrifices, Wallace’s results and performance this season have improved remarkably.