Published 11/15/2022, 12:15 PM EST
Getting into the top flight of NASCAR is an extremely difficult thing to achieve, one has to be highly talented on and off track and also have a stroke of luck and monetary backing in order to rise through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of NASCAR in the Cup Series. During a recent interaction with NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, he explained that aspiring talents should also look at the other side of the sport rather than just the driving aspect of things.
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Wallace said, “NASCAR is cool, come be a part of it… I keep saying, I’m one of 40 people in the world to race at the Cup level. Chances might be slim, but this doesn’t mean you can enjoy other endeavours on the other side of the sport. Whether that’s being crew members or engineers or crew chief one day. I don’t know, mechanic, whatever it may be we have to do a better job of exposing those fields…”
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The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, who happens to be the rival of Wallace’s boss, Michael Jordan, was also present at the conference. Jordon owns the Charlotte Hornets team, which happens to share a staunch rivalry with Cuban’s team.
How did Bubba Wallace rise up the ranks of NASCAR?
From go-karting all the way to winning in the Cup Series, Bubba Wallace’s story of his climb to the top flight of NASCAR has been an adventure. At times there were even chances that he might end up in a completely different type of sport. But then with luck and patience, Wallace made his way through and made history for himself.
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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 04: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #45 ROOT Insurance Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 04, 2022, in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Wallace started out in the karting scene after he was introduced to it by his father. Soon Wallace was hooked and the father-son duo went out seeking competitive karting events ever so often. He soon found his way into racing late models for a few years, where he became one of the youngest drivers to win at Frankin County speedway.
Wallace was talented from the start and was picked up by JGR while still in the Can-Am Pro Series, which he entered through the drive for diversity program. Since then Wallace has been fairly successful and kind of created a path for himself as he rose up through the truck, Xfinity and then the Cup Series with Richard Petty Motorsports.
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Wallace would go on to win two races in the Cup Series only after moving to the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-owned 23XI Racing team. One win came at Talladega in 2021 and the second came in Texas this year.