Bubba Wallace’s Raw Reaction to Burton’s Victory Revealed In Brutally Honest Admission

Bubba Wallace faced strong feelings of disappointment following Harrison Burton’s victory, which had significant implications for Wallace’s own playoff place.

Wallace initially found it difficult to share in the joy of Burton’s win because it secured Burton’s No. 21 team a spot in the Cup Series playoffs, directly jeopardizing Wallace’s own playoff chances. He’ll now have to win the next race if he wants to make it.

Despite this, Wallace managed to take a breather on his feelings and come at it again with fresh eyes. Retreating to his bus immediately after the race to take time for himself, he showered and changed before returning to Victory Lane to join the celebrations.

“You’ve got to be happy in this sport for other people winning,” Wallace told Dale Earnhardt Jr. during The Dale Jr Download.

“In the moment, hell no I wasn’t, no. It’s so funny, under the cooldown lap, usually you go up and ride up next to them. Yeah, I rode behind him, five car lengths.”

He continued:

“I went back to the bus, showered, changed, and then went back to Victory Lane. Yeah, and then we were texting yesterday.

“So, congrats to him. I’m super proud of him.”

Burton’s victory not only posed a challenge for Wallace but also represented a potential career lifeline for Burton himself, who currently does not have a ride lined up for the 2025 racing season. Such a win could help Burton secure a future position with another competitive Cup Series team.

As for Wallace, the upcoming race at Darlington has become crucial for his playoff prospects. Preparations are in full swing with his team at 23XI Racing, focusing on optimizing tire degradation and pit-stop strategies to maximize his chances of a win.

“Darlington is another place where strategy comes into play with the tire deg and all that stuff,” Wallace explained. “One stop, two stop. So I think we just have to figure out when we unload Saturday how our Saturday goes. I think that’ll dictate a lot.

“But at least getting the ball rolling, getting the juices flowing on Wednesday so we’re not caught with our pants down, as they say, when that time comes around.”

NASCAR Cup Series: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway Results

1. Harrison Burton – 20 | Running
2. Kyle Busch – 11 | Running
3. Christopher Bell – 27 | Running
4. Cody Ware – 33 | Running
5. Ty Gibbs – 26 | Running
6. Bubba Wallace – 18 | Running
7. Parker Retzlaff – 29 | Running
8. Brad Keselowski – 12 | Running
9. Daniel Hemric – 28 | Running
10. Chris Buescher – 13 | Running
11. Carson Hocevar – 37 | Running
12. Ross Chastain – 24 | Running
13. Zane Smith – 30 | Running
14. Chase Briscoe – 6 | Running
15. John H. Nemechek – 31 | Running
16. Alex Bowman – 21 | Running
17. Erik Jones – 40 | Running
18. Austin Cindric – 8 | Running
19. BJ McLeod – 38 | Running
20. Joey Gase – 39 | Running
21. Kyle Larson – 9 | Running
22. Austin Dillon – 16 | Running
23. Todd Gilliland – 2 | Running
24. Martin Truex Jr – 17 | Running
25. Austin Hill – 23 | Accident
26. Josh Berry – 5 | Accident
27. William Byron – 7 | Accident
28. Tyler Reddick – 25 | Accident
29. Ryan Blaney – 14 | Accident
30. Michael McDowell – 1 | Accident
31. Joey Logano – 3 | Accident
32. Justin Haley – 36 | Accident
33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 35 | Accident
34. Corey LaJoie – 34 | Running
35. Shane Van Gisbergen – 32 | Engine
36. Chase Elliott – 10 | Accident
37. Noah Gragson – 15 | Accident
38. Denny Hamlin – 19 | Accident
39. Ryan Preece – 4 | DVP
40. Daniel Suárez – 22 | Fire