NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace has managed to squeeze into the NASCAR playoffs after securing a top 15 finish at Watkins Glen International over the weekend, and he looked to IndyCar star Scott Dixon to seek his sage wisdom regarding how to mentally prepare to go into a tough race.
Bubba Wallace via NASCAR YouTube, screenshot
“Shoutout to Scott Dixon,” said Wallace in a recent interview. “Actually talked to him this morning about the mental piece of it. It’s hard when you climb in for a road course race and tell yourself you are going to crash, and you are going to suck.
“When you tell yourself that every time, he basically told me, ‘Shut the hell up. I’m here for a reason and trust in myself and I’m here for a reason. Believe in myself.’ And this is what could happen,” Wallace recalled from his conversation.
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“I don’t think I had one lap today [Sunday’s race] where I thought I was going to suck, so that’s good.”
Wallace is set to compete in Daytona’s final regular-season race, where he currently sits in the 16th and final playoff position. He ranked 20th in the Daytona 500 at the season’s start and 11th in the 2022 summer race. Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, A.J. Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott trail Wallace in the current standings.
Wallace has had four Top-5 finishes, but the distance between first and last in the standings is a yawning chasm.
What are your thoughts on Dixon’s advice? Do you think Wallace will really take it in? Let us know in the comments below and across social media.
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