Bubba Wallace drops four-word message hinting at newfound motivation in NASCAR ahead of Daytona 500

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is ready to start the Cup Series season at the 2025 Daytona 500 with a new purpose following the birth of his newborn son with wife Amanda. The 23XI Racing's No. 23 Toyota driver is a first-time father to Becks Hayden Wallace, who was born in late September last year.

On February 16, Wallace shared a picture of himself with Becks and wrote:

"Same drive. New purpose."

Wallace is already off to a great start this season. He won the first Duel race and will race at Sunday's Daytona 500 from the third-place starting position. The 31-year-old has previously had three top-five finishes at the 'Great American Race' in seven starts.

Spire Motorsports crew chief, Rodney Childers also reacted to Wallace's tweet and offered some friendly advice.

"It goes by SO fast.. Cherish every minute," Childers wrote.

Bubba Wallace will start this season with a new crew chief, Charles Denike. His former chief Bootie Barke had been with him since he joined the Denny Hamlin and NBA star Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing in 2021.

The 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway will start from 1:30 pm ET, an hour before the previous schedule.

The race is available live on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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"I feel like I’m walking lighter because of him" - Bubba Wallace on son Becks

Bubba Wallace shared about how his perspective changed after his son Becks was born. Wallace and Austin Cindric won Thursday's Dual races which decided the starting lineup for the Daytona 500.

Before this week, Wallace was on a two-year winless streak, with his last Cup win coming at Kansas in 2022. Meanwhile, his teammate Tyler Reddick won the regular-season championship and finished in the top four last season.

After the win, Wallace shared his thoughts on the experience of fatherhood changing his perspective on things.

"It is the coolest thing having a kid. You never know if you’re ready. I regret not having one earlier. He’s brought so much joy and new perspective. I feel like I’m walking lighter because of him. Four months old, and he’s already changed my life," Bubba Wallace said (via fox59.com).

Talking about the Daytona 500, Wallace added:

"I feel like we’ve done just about everything right. But just about everything isn’t good enough to win the 500. It’s got to be perfect, and we’ve just got to really focus on how to do that and when that time comes be in the same spot here Sunday," he added.

Meanwhile, Wallace’s team, 23XI Racing, is pursuing a legal battle with NASCAR about the 2025 charter agreements. The team with Front Row Motorsports filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the sanctioning body last October. The trial is expected to begin in December this year.