August 28th 2023.
Bubba Wallace, NASCAR Cup Series star, achieved a major milestone on Saturday, August 26. He clinched his first-ever championship playoffs berth with a 12th place finish in the Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.
The week leading up to Saturday's race had been an emotionally draining one for Wallace. He described it as "probably the hardest week I've had in a long time," due to the pressure of protecting his playoff position. He said, “So many people told me today, control what you can control. If you do everything you can do, you can only be mad but for so long. We didn’t have any dumb errors, we didn’t take ourselves out of it, we didn’t speed on pit row; we just executed like we’re supposed to.”
Wallace races for NBA all-time great Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing. Heading into the race, he had the final playoff spot and was joined by teammate Tyler Reddick. After an exciting race, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher emerged as the winner. Wallace celebrated an emotional post-race after coming in 12th position, taking a congratulatory hug from Jordan.
Wallace's success means he joins a field of 16 drivers in pursuit of a Cup Series championship in NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary season. The playoffs consist of a 10-week, four-round run to a final-four, winner-take-all finale at NASCAR’s Phoenix Raceway on November 5. Wallace is looking forward to taking his talents to the next level, saying “Now, we just have to go out and execute, and put it all together.”
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