"I proved my wife wrong": Bubba Wallace reveals the impact of his off-season commitment on his recent success

Bubba Wallace recently opened up on his off-season process after winning Duel 1 at Daytona. The 23XI Racing driver emerged victorious in the Duel race ahead of this Sunday's season opener, the Daytona 500.

After the race, a reporter mentioned his thread on X where he had admitted to his shortcomings over the last two seasons and committed to do better. Wallace was asked whether a win like the one in the Duel was a result of his process of committing himself in the off-season.

"It’s just the beginning. You can get very complacent in life and your professional life, and you can keep doing the same routines over and feel like you’re not moving the needle or getting anywhere, and you are getting the same results. So it’s ultimately how you control your destiny is how you wake up each and every day," Wallace described. [6:50]

He mentioned that if one wakes up with a negative mindset, then 'that's how it's going to be.' However, if one does the opposite and 'show up', it makes a difference. Wallace claimed that one has to roll up their sleeves and 'deal with all the BS.'

"I was not happy with myself. Every time I looked in the mirror, I wasn’t happy. Physical appearance, mental appearance, it needed to change. I’ve been committed to that longer than a month, which I proved my wife wrong, so we’re on the right track," Bubba Wallace revealed.

Wallace further added that the night before the Duel, he and his photographer ran three and a half miles before qualifying.

He emphasized that going forward, he intends to continue to become a better version of himself each and every day.

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Bubba Wallace opens up on having his son Becks during in attendance at Daytona

During his post-Duel media availability, Bubba Wallace was also asked whether winning the race felt better than taking his son, Becks, to the victory lane. It's worth mentioning that Wallace became a father to Becks in October 2024.

And because his family was in attendance to witness his Duels win, Wallace revealed that he started crying during the driver intros. He said that as he was walking with Becks in his arms, he began to wonder why he didn't have him at Bowman Gray for the Clash, because of which he 'lost it' on the pit road and tried to cover it up.

Having said that, Wallace commented that his son was 'surprisingly calm' throughout the driver intros and pre-race formalities. He described:

"While we’re trying to sleep, he’s going to be wide awake. Having him here and Amanda, you know, it’s been the best four months of our life. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of sleepless nights, but it’s the moments like this before we can all celebrate together, which is really special." [1:30]

Bubba Wallace added that having his son in the victory lane doing the Lion King pose was 'really cool.'