Bubba Wallace takes a savage jibe at Kyle Petty: “I start speaking too many words, I get anxious and mentally fragile” 

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace took a savage jibe at NASCAR ace Kyle Petty prior to the Southern 500 playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Wallace made the comments after being criticized by Petty for missing the pre-race interview during the weekend at Daytona.

In the final regular season race at Daytona, the #23 Toyota driver had avoided the pre-race interview to focus on his all-important race, where his berth in the playoffs was at stake. Kyle Petty, however, lambasted Wallace for missing the interview as he remarked via NBC Sports:

“For professional athletes to refuse interviews is unacceptable in any game. Unacceptable to your fans. Unacceptable to the sport.”

“That’s why you make the big bucks, dude. You got to handle it. Put it on your shoulders and carry it... If mentally he is that fragile, then maybe this is not the game for him. You know, honestly.”

Bubba Wallace had responded to Petty's wrath saying that he had completed his media obligations earlier in the week. Nonetheless, he decided to make a playful jibe prior to the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway where he commented on the pre-race interview:

"Well you know I'm just here for fulfilling my media obligations before the race so. Yeah, I got a word count though, I start speaking too many words I start to get really anxious and mentally fragile. So now on to the sh*t that matters..."

Wallace then went on to score a seventh-place finish in his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.

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Bubba Wallace defends his act at Daytona as remarks "media doesn't pay my bills"

Ahead of the playoff season, the 23XI Racing driver reflected on the comments made by Kyle Petty as he was insistent that he had completed his media obligations earlier in the week, to free himself as he mentally prepared for the race at Daytona.

NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day

Replying to Petty's comments, Bubba Wallace made the following comments during the NASCAR Media Day:

“It’s funny, I read that. We had the opportunity to do media during the week to free up the obligations at the race track and to focus on what we needed to do, which was get the 23 car in the Playoffs. That’s the most important thing.”

He continued:

“As much as talking to media is really important, I’m sorry y’all don’t pay my bills...I didn’t really decline. We did our obligations and we made sure we were focused on the task at hand, which is the most important thing. That was the main goal in all of that.”

Bubba Wallace did achieve the goal of making the playoffs and heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend where he took his latest Cup Series victory last year.