"Proud of you kid" - An emotional Bubba Wallace on advancing to the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12

After a mentally and physically grueling P14 finish during the final Round of 16 race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace advanced into the Round of 12 for the first time in his Cup Series career.

The 23XI Racing driver was tired and emotional after what he deemed as a difficult race, especially with the pressures of always being on the elimination cut line.

While 23XI Racing's co-owner and fellow NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin managed to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, the #23 Toyota Camry TRD driver made crucial moves to stay above the cut line.

Four drivers, including Kevin Harvick and last year's champion Joey Logano, were seen being eliminated from the very first round of the 2023 playoffs itself.

Elaborating on how much his first Round of 12 appearance means to him, Bubba Wallace summed up his feelings in a post-race interview. He told frontstretch.com:

"Trying to get out of my thoughts and just emotional. I said to myself out loud, not on the radio, 'Proud of you kid', and we all know that I rarely do that so, just a way to stick with it but it all worked out. This is a special day, got to cherish it but can't get complacent."

It remains to be seen how far can Bubba Wallace manage to keep his championship hopes alive.

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Bubba Wallace previews first Round of 12 race at Texas Motor Speedway next weekend

Heading into the first Round of 12 race during the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, Bubba Wallace seemed cautious of what the track has in store for him next Sunday. The Mobile, Alabama native elaborated on how the intermediate track in Fort Worth, Texas has been tricky for the #23 crew.

He said in an interview with Matt Weaver:

"Texas (Motor Speedway) is a head-scratcher for me, turn 3, (turn) 4, tough, the way you gotta attack it. We gotta set up a car to attack it, puts you on edge, see a lot of wrecks there. Very minimal room for, or margin, and in the playoffs you gotta find that margin and put it on there, right?"

The first race of the 2023 Playoffs Round of 12 will take place at the 1.5-mile-long Texas Motor Speedway next weekend before the field goes superspeedway racing once again at Talladega. The Charlotte Roval will be the final race before drivers advance on to the next round, a step closer to the ultimate prize.