For Wallace, 2025 has brought a clear change in how he approaches racing both on and off the track. He is more focused, calmer in his mindset, and his performances show this improvement. Now, he’s not just racing for himself; he has a little one looking up to him. Even though winning has been tough, there’s a distinct difference in Bubba Wallace this season.
Becoming a father gives him new clarity, purpose, and motivation that he hasn’t felt before. Many athletes have shared how parenthood has changed their careers, helping them stay grounded and encouraging them to improve.
Bubba Wallace’s 2025 season has shown a quiet but steady change, and people in NASCAR have noticed. Jeff Gluck mentioned his thoughts during an episode of The Teardown. “Today we discussed Bubba Wallace, and the 56 laps he led was the most he has led since Texas 2023. Although he hasn’t won since September 2022, this year has been good for Bubba overall. He has spoken about bringing a new mindset to the track. He is currently seventh in the point standings, and both 23XI drivers are in the top seven, so he is doing what he needs to do. Bubba is representing 23XI well. Did you hear that Bubba also joked with his team on the last lap by saying he had a tire going down? It was just a prank to give them a little scare.”
Gluck is correct. Watching Wallace take charge in the final stage and create a gap from the other drivers showed a new side of the 23XI racer. But that’s not all. His third-place finish at Homestead has put him in an unfamiliar position. Since joining the Cup Series in 2018, Wallace has never been higher than 18th in the standings at this point in the season! If he keeps performing like this, he could make the playoffs for the second time in his career. Back in 2023, he only qualified for the playoffs at the regular season finale in Daytona.
Wallace has also gotten better at bouncing back from setbacks. In the past, one frustrating moment could ruin his entire race or affect his future races. A good example of this was during the Las Vegas race in 2022 when Bubba Wallace hit Kyle Larson in the rear quarter panel after Larson made a move against him, causing Wallace to scrape the wall as he exited turn 4. After getting out of his car, Wallace approached Larson and shoved him, which resulted in a one-race suspension for him.
However, at the Miami event, he dealt with challenges in a different way. “There was a restart where Logano and Gregson got into the 23 car, and Bubba got a little heated – he got pushed into the wall and was fired up for a moment, right? But then he quickly calmed down,” noted Jordan Bianchi. Instead of focusing on the incident, Wallace refocused and continued to race strongly.
Even Blaney took a moment to enjoy the competition on the track. “We lost some spots during pit stops, but we made our way back to third place, and it was an awesome race between me, Bubba, and Larson.”
The change that becoming a father brings is noticeable. Wallace shared, “We were just chatting, my wife [Amanda] and I, about the baby and other things. It’s wild how you have to separate your thoughts, but it’s pretty cool.”
His teammate, Tyler Reddick, has noticed this change and supports it. “Becoming a dad will transform you in ways you might not see coming. I think he’s handling it well right now, and I’m excited to watch how he grows as a father and how that influences his racing. He seems to be in a good spot at the moment.”
But Reddick isn’t the only one appreciating Wallace’s efforts. Bubba Wallace receives a lot of praise from 23XI Racing.
After his performance at Homestead-Miami, Wallace received nothing but praise. He led the race, remained competitive the whole time, and stayed calm under pressure. Team owner Denny Hamlin was thrilled when discussing Wallace’s collaboration with Charles Denike. “We believe Charles is a game changer who is helping Bubba perform at his best. Their cars are quick. Overall, I think the 23XI cars are very fast, so they have great speed, and Bubba is really making it work. He’s putting in the effort, and it’s clearly reflected in the results we see now.”
