"Tried to come into this year way more prepared" - Bubba Wallace reflects on season preparation amid sitting outside the playoff bubble

With eight races left in the regular season, Bubba Wallace finds himself out of the playoff picture, trailing cut-off driver Joey Logano by 13 points. Similar to how his previous season transpired, Wallace finds himself in the thick of the battle for the final playoff spot.

Despite a strong start to the season, the #23 Toyota team has struggled in recent weeks with Wallace recording his last top-10 finish at Darlington Raceway. In the first half of the season, he has three top-five finishes with two top-10 results while recording three DNFs.

Ahead of the Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway, Bubba Wallace was asked by the media about his struggles this season. The 23XI Racing driver explained that he has been slightly off in speed and handling, despite putting in plenty of effort to improve during the pre-season:

"It's a little bit of both, I've tried to come into this year way more prepared than I have been. Studying more film, being more attentive in the meetings, asking I would think more of the right questions, we are just asking more questions in general. It's hard man, we are fighting for 1000th of an inch that's what it's all about."

Wallace expressed confidence in his team members' ability to analyze why they are marginally behind in the ultra-competitive field. He reckoned that he and the team would get to the root of their struggles and hopefully improve in the coming weeks:

"I say we have enough smart people in our team. Well, there’s a lot of teams in this sport that have a lot of smart people. So, you’re going up against the best of the best and that’s what makes you show up the following weeks is when you do get beat, you’ve got things to work on and it’s the competition side of things. So, as much as we’re off, it’s not much, but it’s just enough to keep us working hard and trying to find out what it is to get back to where we ran last year."

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Bubba Wallace remains focused on racing amid off-track drama

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Bubba Wallace was involved in a physical altercation with Aric Almirola during a competition meeting, with the latter viewed as the instigator.

Wallace, who had a previous confrontation with Almirola in Charlotte last year, opened up about the incident but didn't disclose any details. He remains focused on turning around his season and making the playoffs.

"They don’t want me to get into details to keep some people’s images good. I think I said enough at Charlotte last year, so all in all, life is good for me. That sh*t happened over a month ago, and a lot of good’s come my way. And that’s what I’m focused on. I’m focused on getting our stuff turned back around," he was quoted as saying by NASCAR.com

Bubba Wallace, who is expecting his first child later this year, emphasized that he is not letting any drama distract him. He remains focused on preparing to become a father and striving to make the playoffs.