Bubba Wallace needs “better consistency” after NASCAR win at Indianapolis

Bubba Wallace must find “better consistency” to improve his chances of finishing higher in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series standings, according to veteran journalist and broadcaster Bob Pockrass.

Driving a Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing, Wallace held off Hendrick Motorsports’s Kyle Larson to win Sunday’s Cup Series race at Indianapolis and secure a berth in the playoffs.

It marked just his third ever victory in NASCAR’s top category, and snapped a 100-race winless streak stretching back to 2022.

After the race, Wallace admitted that his own mind has been his “biggest problem”, explaining how self-doubt had been preventing him from challenging for more wins on a regular basis.

Now that he’s broken through with a win in 2025, Pockrass believes Wallace needs to address another key area to ensure a strong playoff run.

"He needs to have better consistency if he's going to make a deep run into the playoffs. I think he can get through the first round, but the second round, you're talking New Hampshire and then Kansas, and the Roval. Kansas has been a good race for him in the past years, but in recent times, it hasn't been as good a track for 23XI Racing."

For only the second time in his career, Wallace has secured a place in the playoffs, and Pockrass believes that is an achievement in itself.

23XI Racing’s co-owner Denny Hamlin recognises why Wallace hasn’t been as successful as he could be and offered a word of advice to the 31-year-old.

“His valleys weren’t as low,” Hamlin said. “I think it seemed like on the bad days, he was able to compartmentalize that and then think about the positives versus ‘everything sucks all the time.’ That’s a tough way to live.

“We’re in a business where if you can win 5% of the time, you’re a Hall of Famer. You’re going to lose. This is a losing business, and you have to find happiness in some other way other than actually winning.

“Mike Ford told me that early in my career, and that was the best advice I’ve ever been given. It’s something that certainly needed to be told to Bubba that you’ve got to find these little goals that you feel good about because it’s tough out there.”

Wallace’s form has been boosted in 2025 by a renewed focus on family as well as the arrival of new crew chief Bootie Barker.