“Something's fishy about that”: Bubba Wallace recalls Ryan Blaney's miraculous turnaround at Bowman Gray in the past

Bubba Wallace shared his thoughts on NASCAR returning to the Bowman Gray Stadium for the Clash. After running the season-opening exhibition race at the LA Coliseum for the last three seasons, NASCAR announced in 2024 that the Cup Series would return to one of it's most iconic venues for the first time since 1971.

Speaking about that ahead of Sunday's Clash event, Wallace recalled his memories of the racetrack, what he expects from the race, and an anectode about Ryan Blaney:

"I've been here almost 13 years ago and not much has changed. Now we've got a SAFER barrier wall and a proper fence. Other than that, it's still The Madhouse. The fans are live and ready to go, ready for some action. I mean, it's so close quarters. It's just going to be a matter of survival, survival of the fittest. It's going to be very similar to LA Coliseum," Wallace described.

The 23XI Racing driver hoped that he's on the right side of the affairs on Sunday because it'd be tough if he's not at his best speed and he ends up being 'a moving chicane' for others. Wallace hoped for 'enough speed' in his #23 Toyota Camry, but acknowledged that one never knows because of the nature of the racetrack.

He further recalled running with Blaney in a Bandolero race at Bowman Gray years ago.

"Ryan Blaney and I were in the field and I don't remember the sensation of the speed and the driving aspect. But I just remember Blaney having a problem, going back to the pits, working on his car, coming back out, and lapping the field. Something's fishy about that," he said.

Bubba Wallace added that the Clash at Bowman Gray will strictly be about 'bragging rights.' So if a driver can start their season with a win at the Winston-Salem track, they'd have a lot of confidence heading into the Daytona 500.

---

Bubba Wallace shared his thoughts on his new crew chief Charles Denike for 2025

In the 2025 season, Bubba Wallace is all set to work with Charles Denike, his new crew chief who has replaced Bootie Barker as the head of the #23 team. Sharing his thoughts on his new crew chief, Wallace recently revealed that he met Denike in 2024 and found him to be a very smart and punctual person.

Wallace joked that he wanted to let Denike's family know that being a crew chief at the Cup level is 'a massive committment.' It's worth mentioning that Denike has background in the Truck, Xfinity, and the K&N Touring series over the years.

Having said that, Bubba Wallace emphasized on his priority for his new crew chief as he said (via Motociclismo):

"I wanna win races, but also I just wanna have fun. The first encounter I had, I probably reiterated to him 23 times about how much fun I wanted to have."

The 23XI Racing driver added that it is only when one has fun that they start winning races.