Bubba Wallace’s recent surge in NASCAR success is largely attributed to a significant mental shift that has transformed his approach to racing and competition. After a career-best season in 2024 with six top-five finishes, fourteen top-ten finishes, and an average finish of 15.3, Wallace has continued his strong performance into 2025. Notably, he won the Daytona Duel race and has maintained consistent top-tier finishes, including back-to-back third places, currently ranking eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
A pivotal moment illustrating this mental transformation occurred during the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Wallace started the race in ninth position and was running in the top ten for most of the event. However, in the final stage, he grazed the wall in turn 2, which caused him to spin and collect other drivers such as Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman, and AJ Allmendinger, resulting in a DNF (Did Not Finish). Unlike previous occasions where such incidents would have led to frustration and loss of focus, Wallace remained remarkably calm and quickly moved past the disappointment. This change is credited to his new crew chief, Charles Denike, who encouraged Wallace to focus on the positives from the race weekend rather than dwelling on the setback.
Wallace explained in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that Denike provided a “laundry list” of positive accomplishments from the week, from practice sessions to qualifying, which helped him appreciate the progress made despite the unfortunate race ending. For example, after being 18th in practice, the team improved to a ninth-place qualifying position. This perspective shift allowed Wallace to avoid negative spirals and maintain confidence. He remarked, “I can’t even compare where I’m at mentally compared to the years past of having a bad race at Texas… I got out of the car, and Charles was like, he gave me a laundry list of all the positive things that we accomplished from the start of the week all the way up to Sunday”.
Wallace’s new mindset is characterized by a focus on resilience and strategic racing. He now quickly regroups after setbacks and channels his energy into racing harder and smarter. At the Homestead-Miami Speedway race, this was evident when Wallace briefly acknowledged hitting the wall but swiftly dismissed his frustration to continue pushing forward. He led 56 laps and finished third, showing how the mental shift has translated into on-track performance.
This mental transformation has also boosted Wallace’s confidence in his and his team’s ability to contend for wins regularly. He stated, “You just want to be in contention every week, knowing that you have a shot every week. And I think just about every time we show up now, I feel I have the confidence in myself and our team that we can do what we need to do to win races”.
In summary, Bubba Wallace’s recent success with 23XI Racing is driven by a crucial change in his mental approach, emphasizing positivity, resilience, and strategic focus. Supported by his crew chief Charles Denike, Wallace has developed the ability to quickly move past disappointments and maintain confidence, which is reflected in his strong performances and consistent presence in the top ranks of NASCAR competition.
