By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Bubba Wallace, as he usually does after races, received a text from owner Michael Jordan after Daytona last week about his final attempt this week at Darlington Raceway to make the Cup Series playoffs.
“Things you want more cost more,” Wallace said Jordan told him.
Wallace is prepared to pay whatever the price at the Southern 500.
He sits 17th on the playoff grid, first man out, in NASCAR’s final regular-season race Sunday night. Wallace is 21 points behind Chris Buescher.
Wallace has crunched the number, calculated the possible stage points and come up with just one answer — win.
Wallace’s motivation
Wallace took Jordan’s words to heart. “All day, in the middle of the night, I’m telling myself you’ve just got to go out there and have best race you’ve ever had in your life,” said Wallace, who made his first playoffs for Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing last year.
“It’s just showing up, me doing all that I can,” he continued. “Take out the outside factors. That’s how I’m approaching it.”
Wallace has had his best season so far with five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s, including a sixth place last week at Daytona where he thought he had a chance to break a winless drought stretching back to Kansas in September 2022.
His team is running stronger at the right time with a fourth at the Brickyard, a fifth at Richmond before his top-10 at Daytona.
Darlington has been the start of the playoffs the past couple of seasons and will be again in 2025 as NASCAR released its full schedule this week. The two weeks off during the Paris Olympics this summer pushed the track up to the final chance for drivers to qualify for the playoffs.
Wallace has finished in the top 10 his past four times at Darlington including ninth and seventh in the past two Southern 500s. He understands the track requires a different, steadier mindset than nearly all others on the circuit like Daytona where he acknowledged he was stressed out heading into last year’s regular-season finale.
“I think it if it was Darlington, I would have crashed lap two,” Wallace said. “Taking a deep breath, understanding where we’re at. We’re not out of it by any means. If you outrun the guys you’re racing, then you should beat them. But we have to do a little extra work and I’m excited to roll the sleeves up and do that.”
Playoff possibilities
Wallace’s playoff hopes took a dip last week when Harrison Burton, winless in his Cup Series career, outraced two-time champion Kyle Busch on the final lap at Daytona to take the checkered flag. Burton’s win means there are 14 drivers with victories in the field, including Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric who along with Burton, are outside the top 16 in drivers’ points.
Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 champion, is 58 points ahead of the cutoff and appears a safe bet to make the field, whether there’s a first-time seasonal winner at Darlington or not.
If a new name is added to the field, then there will only be one spot left to qualify on points. Don’t expect those safely in the field to back off at Darlington.
“It is the Southern 500 and something any driver wants to win whether you’ve won before or not,” 2020 NASCAR champion Chase Elliott said.
Christopher Bell, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver with three wins this season, is anxious to add a Darlington win to his resume.
“If you can win races, it’s all worth it,” Bell said. “Especially at Darlington with this crown jewel event. Points are still important and we’re all racing for regular-season position, but the chance to win the Southern 500, I’m definitely going to go all out for it.”
Wallace was 16th on the playoff grid a year ago entering the final regular-season race and made the field. Wallace understands the task is harder this time around, yet he is confident he and his team are ready to achieve.
“I’m confident in our team and our ability,” Wallace said. “There’s no reason we can’t be in Victory Lane at Darlington on Sunday. That’s what we need to focus on.”
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