Kurt Busch reflects on Bubba Wallace making the Round of 12: ‘This is huge’

Kurt Busch may no longer be Bubba Wallace’s teammate on the track, but he has nothing but love for the 23XI Racing wheelman.

At Bristol, Busch was watching as Wallace advanced to the Round of 12, and he believes it’s a landmark moment for Wallace. Speaking with the media, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion explained why it’s such a big deal for Wallace to advance to the next round of the Playoffs.

“This is huge,” Busch told NASCAR.com. “This is something that takes a team all the way through – whether it’s simulator work, whether it’s our owner (and race winner Denny Hamlin) that’s doing burnouts as I’m speaking. There’s a strategy call. There’s a driver duty. There’s a pit-crew duty.

“This is all the teamwork that I’ve talked about for years on how I’ve lost races and won races. I’m so happy to see all of this.”

While Busch doesn’t race for 23XI Racing any longer due to his retirement, he’s still a part of the organization behind the scenes. To have Wallace and teammate Tyler Reddick in the Round of 12 has to feel fantastic for the young team.

Kurt Busch is invaluable in any capacity for a team, and Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing are lucky to have him around. He’ll continue to support Wallace and Reddick as they move into the next phase of the NASCAR Playoffs.

Bubba Wallace ’emotional’ after advancing to the Round of 12

Moreover, Bubba Wallace experienced a wealth of emotions after advancing to the Round of 12 at Bristol on Saturday.

The 23XI Racing wheelman proved his doubters wrong, and gave his supporters new life as he moved into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. While Wallace has yet to win on the season, he still remains in the hunt for the ultimate prize, the Cup Series title.

Speaking with the media afterwards, Wallace explained how special the accomplishment was for him, and where he goes from here.

“Trying to gather my thoughts and man, just emotional,” Wallace said. “I said to myself out loud – not on the radio – ‘Proud of you, kid.’ And we all know I rarely do that. Just, way to stick with it. Tried to throw it away a couple of times. Got frustrated with myself, frustrated with others, but it all worked out. What you need to do is execute.

“This is a special day and gotta cherish it, but can’t get complacent. We know Texas is up. We’re OK there. But we’ve gotta come out swinging and come out on the right end of it.”

Alas, the job isn’t done for Wallace. He’s on to the next round, and he wants to continue to prove he belongs with the best the sport has to offer.

He’ll have his shot over the next three races. Time will tell if Bubba Wallace can keep his run going, but we’re not betting against his shot.