“Want that for my kids”: Brad Keselowski responds to Bubba Wallace on his NASCAR motivation

Last week, The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck did the “12 Questions Podcast” with Bubba Wallace, driver for 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. And like every time, Gluck had asked Wallace to give him a question for this week’s interview.

Wallace knew that Brad Keselowski was going to be the next guest on the segment. His question for Keselowski, who drives the No. 6 car for RFK Racing and owns the team too, was simple: Why does he want to keep racing even though he has a championship, a beautiful family, and owns a full-fledged team?

Keselowski revealed his answer in this week’s episode of the “12 Questions Podcast”.

“If there’s something I dream about that inspires me, it’s being in victory lane with my kids,” Keselowski explained. “I remember being in victory lane when I was a kid with my dad and what that moment felt like, and I really want that for my kids.”

“My kids are just now getting old enough to watch the races and kind of understand what’s happening, which can be fun when you have a good day — not so fun when you have a bad day. But I want my kids growing up to see me as a winner. That’s super motivating to me,” he added.

Bubba Wallace became a father just last year. Becks Hayden Wallace, his baby boy, will turn one on Monday, September 29. That’s just one day after the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, marking the second race of the Round of 12.

The Round of 16 got over last week, propelling Wallace into the following round with a one-point cushion on the cutoff line. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, sits 12th in the playoff picture, three points below the cutline. Next up for the duo is the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, scheduled for Sunday, September 21.

What Bubba Wallace said after ending his 100-race winless streak at Indy

Bubba Wallace made history as the first Black driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he won this year’s Brickyard 400. It was also his first victory since September 11, 2022, at Kansas Speedway, marking the end of a 100-race winless drought.

The win gave Wallace an automatic ticket to the 2025 playoffs. Notably, he was the only driver from the 23XI Racing camp to qualify for the postseason through wins.

"I just want to thank everybody behind me right here, all these guys, all these men and women at Airspeed for making this possible,” Bubba Wallace told NBC Sports after the race. “To overcome so much and to put these people here in Victory Lane, that’s what it’s about.”

“It’s about these people that continue to push at me, believe in me. Man, just so proud, and I appreciate all you guys. Unbelievable to win here at the Brickyard knowing how big this race is,” he added.

According to reports, Bubba Wallace led the final 26 laps and four more en route to what was the third victory of his Cup career. His wife and kid were also seen celebrating his triumph in victory lane. Denny Hamlin, his boss, finished the race in P3 in a backup car after damaging his usual No. 11 Toyota during qualifying.