Wallace: ‘We Will Count It’ After Top-Five Night at Bowman Gray

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer

Bubba Wallace entered this weekend’s Cook Out Clash as one of several drivers who’ve previously raced at Bowman Gray Stadium.

When the dust settled after 200 intense laps where a series of aggressive driving and bumper tags occurred, Wallace begins the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a fifth-place result.

A particular outcome he does count despite being an exhibition race considering his remarks regarding his No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE missing a step in terms of his car handling in a distasteful way.

Furthermore, the tires being his Kryptonite as the tires brought by Goodyear were the same ones the Cup Series ran at Martinsville Speedway.

“We will count it. All-in-all, a good day – we were still missing it on something,” said Wallace. “This tire was also from Martinsville in the fall. I didn’t like the car then. I don’t like the car now, but you have to fight for it.

“I need to look back on what I need to do better with this tire. I think it is more me than the car – just getting the potential, but all-in-all, it was a fun night. Crowd was loud and proud, and it was a good time.”

Rolling off 14th in the main event, Wallace had an eventful night at 1/3-mile circuit where he moved his way up through the field.

However, there was a point in the race where Wallace had a moment with another driver. That moment took place on Lap 120 when he and Joey Logano were battling for position, but an opening was created when they tried splitting lanes which left Brad Keselowski in a vulnerable spot.

Contact between Wallace and Keselowski sent the latter around in Turn 1, bringing out the seventh and final caution of the night. In typical short-track chaos, an accordion effect took place as Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, Todd Gilliland, and Chase Briscoe were involved in the melee behind Keselowski.

Briscoe’s night was done due to the follow-up incident while everyone else, including Keselowski continued their race. But the contact from Wallace affected Keselowski’s night as he never recovered from the tangle and finished 21st.

“I hate that I got into (Keselowski). I didn’t want to get a top-five finish that way,” Wallace on the contact with Keselowski.

“He was doing everything he could to get down – and I got greedy and wanted to fill the hole. I really didn’t think I hit him that hard, but obviously I did, so I apologize for that.”

From there, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota worked its way into the top-five and at one point was in the mix of battling with the leaders. But the chance of going for the win slowly withered and fell out of contention for the win as both Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, who rolled off 23rd, pulled away as they were busy navigating lap traffic.

In the end, Elliott held off Blaney to win the Clash for the first time in his career and took home the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy.

After the race, Wallace praised the top-two finishers for having a faster car and mastering the tire compound.

“It’s no surprise that (Blaney) was really fast, (Elliott) was really fast,” Wallace commented. “They got something figured out with this tire, obviously Martinsville. I have to dissect on what I need to do to be better to get the most potential out of the tires. That’s been the biggest thing for me.”

Compared to previous Clash races, Wallace was happy to finish the race and looks to carry this momentum into the 67th Daytona 500.

“I finished my first Clash ever, so that’s awesome. Usually, I’m wrecked on the last lap,” said Wallace. “It’s nice to just carry this into Daytona. Obviously, we have a lot to just unfold and digest.”

Wallace’s thrill of having a solid start at Bowman Gray stems from having crew chief Charles Denike, who moved on top of the pit box this season after calling shots for Christian Eckes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series the last two seasons.

Despite having an average car Sunday, Wallace knows how much work Denike has put in already at 23XI Racing. Notably, not being bashful on what he’s looking for, a trait that matches Wallace’s personality when it comes to racing.

“With Charles coming in, this is going to be the biggest race of his career,” said Wallace. “I think it’s more for him to understand that and carry this and enjoy the little moments right now, but know we got to roll the sleeves up tomorrow for the meeting and figure out how we’re going to win Daytona.

“It’s the small victories you can enjoy for a minute, but we have to focus on the big picture. Couldn’t be more proud of the effort we put in, how we started from practice, qualified, from the heat race to the main event. We non-stop worked. That’s all you can ask for.

“Just got to keep pushing and try to be the next best.”

About Luis Torres 1159 Articles
From the Pacific Northwest, Luis is a University of Idaho graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcasting and Digital Media and a five-time National Motorsports Press Association award winner in photography. Ever since watching the 2003 Daytona 500, being involved in auto racing is all he's ever dreamed of doing. Over the years, Luis has focused on writing, video and photography with ambitions of having his work recognized.