The Hustle: Bubba Wallace on driving the historic #43 car

– Every opportunity that you get, you have to be able to capitalize, and give it your all, and not leave a stone unturned. Because the moment you do is the moment you’re sitting on the sidelines watching somebody else do it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

BUBBA WALLACE: Heading into the season, we didn’t really know what to expect and were still trying to figure everything out. But going into that, that’s the mindset we had. We’re just going to take what we can get here, hopefully survive, and come away with a good race all things considered. And it was pretty special.

That moment came about last year when I was in the 43 car filling in and I was racing around Jimmy Johnson. And I was like, it’s seven time right here. And I got to learn from him. And then next thing you know, he passed me and I went all the way back. So it was a quick learning experience but a quick moment for me to just kind of realize and sit back and be like, man, I’m racing with the guys I watched on Sunday.

Back in the day it was all driving. The off-track stuff, the camera stuff didn’t really matter. As to where now the society has pushed heavily on social media and digital content that you’ve got to have that kind of spark. So for me, I don’t change. I don’t try to be somebody different when I’m on camera. This is who I am, and I try to be that positive attitude and bring that positive fun light to every situation and know that that’s taken my brand, and hopefully, the sport, to the next level. And so we just need drivers to do more of that. I wouldn’t say follow my lead, but follow my lead.

So you have to do everything in your power on or off the race track to make sure you’re doing and executing the right way, so when you do get that moment, you’ve got to capitalize on it. Just every opportunity that you get you have to be able to capitalize, and give it your all, and not leave a stone unturned. Because the moment you do is the moment you’re sitting on the sidelines watching someone else do it the way you should have done it.

Five years from now is hopefully a lot of wins, for sure by then. You’re just getting really established into the Cup Series and into the sport and being that mentor, that leader, for people coming up through that want to try out the sport. And having everything to back that up, showing that personality and aggressiveness on the racetrack, can take you a really long way.