Did Bubba Wallace silence the doubters with his victory Sunday at the Brickyard 400?
No. They will never be silenced, but only one of those doubters matters.
And that’s Wallace himself.
Bubba Wallace celebrates at the yard of bricks after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400
A driver who has made no secret about his difficulty handling the pressures of NASCAR Cup Series racing, Wallace admitted he had those doubts near the end of the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — a race that is considered by many as one of the sport’s crown jewel events.
“I’ll say those last 20 laps, there was ups and downs of telling myself, ‘You’re not going to be able to do it,’” Wallace said. “I hate that I’m that way.”
Wallace rode a 100-race winless streak into Indianapolis, and the win was the third of his Cup career. It was his first in a regular-season race and it vaulted him into the playoffs. He signed a contract extension late last season and knows that the expectations are for him to win since he’s driving for Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, kiss the yard of bricks after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400
“Not being able to do it for almost three years, you really start to doubt yourself and wonder like, ‘Is this it? After the contract’s up, is this it?’” Wallace said.
“I’ve still got a couple years left, but hopefully this gives me another year at least.”
The 31-year-old Wallace, whose son was born 10 months ago, has seemed to have a more balanced mindset this year. That’s a mindset that doesn’t let the frustrations of a bad performance (or a performance that didn’t match the capability of the car) eat at him throughout the week.
But make no mistake, having not won in nearly three years had to gnaw at Wallace.
His teammate, Tyler Reddick, won the regular-season title and was one of the four championship finalists last year. Wallace failed to make the playoffs.
An exhausted Bubba Wallace celebrates with his son Becks after winning the Brickyard 400
Any driver who is on a 100-race winless streak will certainly face criticism about whether they still deserve a job. Wallace, as the only Black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, gets scrutinized more about whether being Black helps him keep a ride. For context, as a woman, Danica Patrick faced similar criticism when she raced in NASCAR.
“Does anybody know where the goal post got moved to now?” Wallace said after the race. “Did it get moved yet? [My win] هل تزوير؟ “
وقد تنافس والاس في كوب لمدة ثمانية مواسم. في معظم الرياضات المحترفة ، يعتبر المنافسة في المستوى الأعلى لهذا المدة الزمنية مهنة قوية. ولكن في ناسكار ، يتم الحكم على السائقين من خلال الانتصارات والبطولات وأي شخص لا يستطيعون البقاء في المنافسة على أساس أسبوعي يتم تصنيفها على أنها موهبة متواضعة.
لفات نهائية: Bubba Wallace يفوز Brickyard 400 في Indianapolis Motor Speedway
لم يهز والاس أبدًا الانتصارات التي من شأنها أن تجعل شخصًا ما ينظر إليه كمنافس للبطولة. ولكن ليس كل سائق سيكون واحد.
مع ثلاثة انتصارات كوب ، يحتل والاس أكبر عدد من انتصارات الكأس (أو أكثر) من 19 من أصل 35 من السائقين بدوام كامل. بناءً على هذا القانون ، كان لديه مهنة أفضل من نصف منافسيه.
يظهر فوزه يوم الأحد الماضي أنه ينتمي إلى سلسلة الكأس. يمكنه البدء في تصديق ذلك الآن.
يغطي Bob Pockrass NASCAR و IndyCar لـ Fox Sports. لقد أمضى عقودًا في تغطية رياضة السيارات ، بما في ذلك أكثر من 30 دايتونا 500 ، مع اختلاف في ESPN و Sporting News ومجلة NASCAR Scene و (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. اتبعه على Twitter @بوبوكراس.
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