Bubba Wallace has had a tough start to 2026.
The 23XI Racing driver is currently in 12th place in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, is in first place. Reddick, driving the No. 45 car to Wallace’s No. 23, has five wins in 10 starts. He has more wins than the rest of the drivers in the top five combined.
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Wallace, meanwhile, has just one top five finish. He has five top 10 finishes, though he’s struggled to get it done when it matters most. He’s hoping that’ll change moving forward.
Feb 11, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images© Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Amid his up-and-down 2026 season, Wallace spoke with The Athletic. During his 12-question interview, Wallace sounded off on his biggest “annoyance” with the sport of NASCAR in 2026.
Wallace pinpointed his issue with short tracks.
23XI Racing driver sounds off on his biggest annoyance
The Athletic asked Wallace: “What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?“
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Wallace quickly responded.
“What’s annoying is the mad dash at short tracks when it’s choose time (on the lap before the race resumes, drivers pick a lane to choose where to restart the race). At Martinsville, we’re rushing to get all the cars through. Why not do two laps to go? Bristol, same thing. Why are we rushing?” he said.
“And then the choose cone being so close to the start/finish line at road courses — COTA, Sonoma — there are different straightaways we could use. We wait until the last little bit, and that’s it.”
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Wallace didn’t stop there, either.
“Yeah, like when we’ve had to restart in the back, I’m in third gear, fourth gear going into (Turn) 3 just trying to catch up.”
The Athletic, for what it’s worth, seemed to agree.
“You’re right, because from the press box, you’ll see the first few guys kind of take their time, and then all of a sudden everybody’s speeding up, rushing to catch the back of the field, and then it’s going green,” Jeff Gluck responded.
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Is this something NASCAR should consider changing?
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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