“It just feels wonky to me”: Bubba Wallace shares real emotions after 23XI’s front-row lockout at COTA

Modified Mar 01, 2025 22:14 GMT

Bubba Wallace at NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 - Source: Getty

Bubba Wallace shared his view on 23XI Racing having a front-row lockout after qualifying with his teammate at the front. He will start the race in second place, whereas Tyler Reddick took the pole position.

Wallace delivered a career best qualifying performance on a road course, securing the second position for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas. The 31-year-old finished his lap with an impressive lap time of 1:38.30, finishing just behind his 23XI Racing teammate, Reddick, who had the lap time of 1:38.08. This is a historic achievement for the team as it is a front-row lockout showcasing its dominance on road courses.

The Alabama native emphasized the hard work he and his 23XI Racing team put in over the past month to prepare for the road course. He admitted to struggling during practice, where he tested the limits of the track multiple times, even joking about holding the record for cutting Turn 5. In a post-qualifying lap interview with Frontstretch, Bubba Wallace said:

"I don't know, just lucky I guess. Nah, I'm just putting in a lot of work, both for myself and the team, and it's all starting to click. So, you know, I don't know why I'm not like over the moon excited about starting second on a road course. I don't know, it just feels wonky to me. I'm not sure, I don't know. We did it, we executed."

"We were faster than the rest of the guys except for one in our group, so we'll take it. I think my biggest thing is we put in a lot of work for the last month for this place and no fault of anybody, but it was just way off. And so you've seen my first practice, I was driving it to what I thought I was supposed to and found the limits multiple times. And I think I have the record of cutting section or corner five more than anybody today, so I'll take that. But no, I think it's just pushing the envelope and trusting and believing in yourself and believing in the process."

The qualifying result marked a new high for Bubba Wallace at COTA, where he has yet to achieve a top-10 finish in four previous visits. His second place start is a testament to his growing confidence and adaptability on road courses.

Bubba Wallace full of praise for COTA pole winner Tyler Reddick

Bubba Wallace praised Tyler Reddick as a driver who provides valuable feedback to the team, helping them gather the right information.

"He does a great job of giving us the right information to chase, sometimes. But I really thought I screwed his lap up. I got into turn 1 better and got close, and I think if roles were reversed I'd be like, 'Back up off me a little bit. Give me some room.' But that's just how good he is. Hats off to everybody at 23XI, #45 and #23 on the front row. Getting Riley [Herbst] up to speed on everything. I was way out on left field in practice. So we made some big gains. Just have to keep fighting now," Bubba Wallace elaborated.

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Wallace jokingly mentioned that he thought he had interfered with Reddick's lap, but acknowledged Reddick's skill in overcoming that.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl