"I don’t want to be messed with": Bubba Wallace sends out a clear message to his rivals after winning pole at Darlington

Bubba Wallace won pole in the final race of the regular season at Darlington. The 23XI Racing driver is in a tricky spot in the playoff standings, as he's -21 points below the cutline. However, by winning pole, Wallace sent a statement to other playoff hopefuls around the cutline.

It was something he touched on during a media interaction on Saturday. When a journalist asked Bubba Wallace about the confidence he's carrying into the race on Sunday by winning pole, the #23 driver said (00:30):

"You look at us coming in and being on the bubble – 21 points out with a ton of pressure, and I think the pressure just switched.

"We’re not here to mess around. I showed up with a more open and calmer demeanor – more free and relaxing demeanor, but, at the same time, I don’t want to be messed with. So, it’s a fine balance you’re got to walk."

Wallace said that he appreciates his team and told his crew chief Bootie Barker that he needs to have a good qualifying run. He mentioned how he was close to pole a few times previously, so he's ecstatic to finally make it happen.

However, the difference between having a good qualifying and a good race wasn't lost on Bubba Wallace.

"With all that being said, the elephant in the room — tomorrow is a whole different day, and I’m excited to see what tomorrow offers," he said.

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Pole-sitter Bubba Wallace ready to win the lottery on Sunday at Darlington

After winning the third pole of his NASCAR Cup career, Bubba Wallace opened up on how the nature of playoffs could affect his luck.

Wallace said that anything could happen in the race, something that was on display at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last weekend. He said (as per NASCAR):

"So we have to run our own race and it makes it a lot easier for us. I have the first pit stall, and as long as we executive and make the right calls and do great on pit road.

"All I want for every single person on this team, including myself, is to go to bed tomorrow night and know we did everything we could, we did all we could. Maybe it was good enough. Maybe it wasn’t. That’s the lottery ticket. We’ll find out after tomorrow night’s race."

It's worth mentioning that after the race at Daytona last weekend, Bubba Wallace said that the #23 wasn't out of playoff contention "by any means." However, he added that to outrun and beat his competitors, he'd have to do "a little bit of extra work."

Wallace added that he's excited to roll up his sleeves and do that extra work that would take him to the playoffs. While all of it depends on the outcome of the race, the 23XI Racing driver has given himself a headstart by bagging pole.