“It’s a lot of money”: Bubba Wallace shares his more mature take on crucial aspect of NASCAR racing

Bubba Wallace recently spoke about his renewed take on one of the most important aspects of racing in NASCAR - sponsorships. During a recent event of his sponsor, Leidos, in Washington D.C., Wallace spoke about how he used to view sponsorship events many years ago, and how he does now.

In a video posted by 23XI Racing on their social media handle, Wallace called sponsorships "some of the hardest challenges in racing."

"At the end of the day, it's a lot of money to make, let alone one race, we race 38 times a year, so I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Leidos enough," he said.

The #23 driver recalled that back in 2016, he and Leidos were associated, then split up, but have since reunited. He mentioned the obligations the company set in front of them of making Bubba Wallace be a part of something or the team be a part of something as he got around to the point he was trying to make.

"Earlier I'd be like, 'Oh man, it's another trip. I just want to race cars.' Well, it takes an army to make this all happen. People from behind the scenes, it takes sponsors, it takes everybody at the race shop to make this happen," Bubba Wallace described.

Speaking about sponsorships in 2021, Wallace claimed that having the backing of sponsors allows a driver to focus on his "actual craft" and go out there, race in pursuit of getting "the best results you can."

Wallace mentioned as per CBS News that now that he has more sponsorships, he has fewer sleepless nights. Furthermore, having "great partners" on board in his first year with 23XI made it "a spectacular year."

"It's nice, it's humbling, it makes you appreciate all those tough days in years prior," he added.

Leidos believes partnership with Bubba Wallace is "much more than a sponsorship"

In a 2022 press release, Leidos' CEO Roger Krone expressed his excitement in partnering up with Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing.

"Bubba’s efforts have paved the way for real change while advancing a culture of inclusion and diversity in NASCAR and across the world. We see this as much more than a sponsorship – it’s an opportunity to showcase our shared values. We are proud to have Bubba Wallace representing Leidos both on and off the track," Krone said.

Wallace's sponsor Leidos is a Fortune 500 company 'working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets.'

The company is based out of Virginia and reported an annual revenue of approximately $12 billion in January 2021.

In 2024, Leidos is all set to sponsor six races for Bubba Wallace - Bristol, Talladega, Pocono, Richmond, Atlanta, and the ROVAL.