As the sport of stock car racing evolves, a new generation of drivers is poised to grab the reins of NASCAR.
And Darrell Wallace Jr. — better known as “Bubba,” driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the XFINITY Series — is one of the leaders of that charge.
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Standing in the Concord, North Carolina-based Roush Fenway Racing museum on a brisk Wednesday morning, Wallace has zero airs about being one of the up-and-coming stars in racing. Dressed smartly in a pullover, flat-bill hat and leather Converse, he arrives promptly, immediately greeting everyone in the crew like old friends.
“Time to look pretty now,” Bubba tweeted out just prior to an on-camera interview.
It has been a busy day for the 22-year-old, who just biked across RFR’s campus from the morning pit practice and reveals he’s heading to the ZMAX Dragway later in the day before leaving for Bristol Motor Speedway the next morning.
But he’s young, energetic and ambitious — with a booming laugh that comes easily. Busy days like this don’t seem to wear on him.
That same fire and energy translates to the race track. Wallace and crew chief Seth Barbour put together a sixth-place run at the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway — a track that’s not on Bubba’s list of favorites — and more recently, a career-best third-place at Auto Club Speedway.
“We’ve just been working really hard, never giving up,” Wallace said. “Going into Fontana, I didn’t expect to finish third — maybe 23rd the way we were running. … We’ve just been trying to really make a lot of gains.”
Nonetheless, it’s the races sandwiched between Bubba’s strong runs — Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix — and a 15th-place result at Texas that the No. 6 driver focuses his attention on when he recounts the early part of the season.
“Daytona, Fontana really went our way somewhat. The (others) did not,” Wallace said. “We have to focus on why (those) did not and come up with a better game-plan to attack those next handful of races coming up.”
As Wallace adjusts to his sophomore season, the newly debuted XFINITY Series Chase format adds another element to the competition with its win-and-you’re-in format.
And Bubba is a fan.
“I think it takes the pressure off us, really,” he said. “I was talking to (Dale Earnhardt) Junior about it and he said that was the main thing that helped him was kind of relaxing. You get in kind of this consistent run — obviously if you win, you’re in. So, the emphasis is on winning but you can kind of take a step back knowing the points are going to reset as long as you’re in the top 12.
“So, it’s exciting. I’m glad that NASCAR implemented that into the NASCAR XFINITY Series.”
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It’s unsurprising Bubba favors the format, as the thrilling nature of the new Chase seems to fit the Bubba Wallace Brand — something he’s constantly building. It’s a brand that’s a mixture of sass, humor, heavy metal music and transparency his fans experience through his social-media accounts.
It could be a Twitter video of him and best friend/fellow driver Ryan Blaney‘s heavy metal cover of a Parkway Drive song or a Snapchat of his plane ride to the track. It could be a tweet that reveals his fear of spiders (“You want an eight-legged thing running at you? Jumping at you? No,” he said later) or an Instagram of his hike on the West Coast.
No matter the subject, it’s pure Bubba.
That transparency allows fans to connect with Bubba away from the race track — a luxury that many fans lack with their favorite drivers.
“You get some of the funny tweets that you’re not supposed to respond to but you do,” Wallace said. “… It’s just fun to be able to interact with them (fans). At the track, getting autographs, we get to talk to each other, but that’s only two days out of the week. So, throughout, just keep them up with what you’re doing.”
In the process, Bubba is aiding in the sport’s growth: He appeared on an episode of the popular television show “American Idol” while in Los Angeles. He suited up for the gridiron and practiced with his childhood favorite Tennessee Volunteers football team. He’s befriended rock stars like the band members from Asking Alexandria, bringing them to the race track.
Just like that, NASCAR and pop culture have become intertwined.
“Aside from what we do for a living, as far as race cars and turning left and going really fast, we have a personal life that we kind of like to show and show fans how we can connect with them,” Wallace said. “A lot of fans watch ‘American Idol’ and I’ve got a lot of UT fans that follow me, so I’ve gotten to go to some of those games. And now I (got) to practice with the squad, which (was) really cool and one of the best days of my life.
“But we just connect with the fans — it’s all about the fans in this sport,” he continued. “We want to keep them engaged and get them to latch on, help build my brand.”
As the sport evolves, life’s natural processes take place: Original, die-hard fans still form the core of NASCAR’s audience, but as star drivers retire and up-and-comers make their marks, a younger generation steps into the light in the stands, too. These fans are still passionate — but they’re different.
Young stars like Bubba know how to reach them.
“I think anything that we do that’s exciting, that’s fun, that’s cool to us is going to attract a new face,” Wallace said. “NASCAR’s all about bringing new faces in … We’re trying to keep a consistent flow through and just trying to make everything exciting.”
At just 22 years old and at the beginning of a promising career, Bubba represents the future of NASCAR.
And that future rocks out to Parkway Drive on the drums.
