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Denny Hamlin Reveals ‘Best Advice’ He Ever Received And How It Helped Bubba Wallace

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Bubba Wallace

As co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin has had a front row seat to the ups and downs of Bubba Wallace.

When Hamlin and Jordan hired Wallace ahead of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season to be the brand new organization’s first driver, Hamlin never really doubted Wallace’s talent behind the wheel.

He did worry at times, though, about Wallace’s motivation level and approach to his job. Hamlin also grew concerned about how Wallace would mentally process bad weekends at the track and even the times when he performed well but came up a little short.

However, at some point in the summer of 2024, something seemed to really shift in Wallace. And it’s that change in mindset that, Hamlin believes, ultimately helped lay the groundwork for Wallace to capture by far the biggest win of his career. That win came in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

What Set The Wheels In Motion For Bubba Wallace Becoming A Better Version Of Himself?

In Bubba Wallace’s first season with 23XI Racing, he was the lone driver for the fledgling organization. That changed in 2022, however, when the organization added a second car and hired 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch to be its driver.

The following year, after Busch retired early with a career-ending injury, 23XI hired Tyler Reddick — one of the sport’s up-and-comers — to take his place.

With a high-caliber teammate to compete with and against, Wallace seemed to grow more focused on refining his craft.

“When we started the second team with Kurt, that pushed him a little bit,” Hamlin said after Wallace’s win on Sunday at Indianapolis. “Then when we brought in Tyler, that pushed him a little bit more. I think he understands that this is a performance-based business. Me and Michael (Jordan) want to win. We’re not out here just to field cars going around in circles. We want to win. We put a lot of resources into doing that.

“Bubba has felt pressure. I think he’s felt the pressure from not only me but Michael and everyone. You want to perform the best among your teammates.”

It wasn’t until the summer of 2024, however, that Hamlin perceived Wallace had truly flipped a switch. Hamlin surmised that, perhaps, Wallace becoming a father for the first time last September played a role in his new mindset.

“Something changed mid-last year,” Hamlin said. “You can relate it to (Wallace) having a child, or whatever. But something happened mid-last year where I saw a change in attitude that then changed work ethic.

“What I’m hoping he takes from (winning the Brickyard 400) is that hard work pays off. It really does pay off. Hopefully, we see more of this.”

23XI Racing Driver Has Learned How To Better Handle Adversity

Along with increased dedication to his job and an overall better attitude, Bubba Wallace has made significant strides in how he deals with disappointing days at the track.

Denny Hamlin noticed this turnabout in Wallace around the same time he first observed the other improvements in the Mobile, Alabama native.

“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 (saying), ‘Everything sucks,’ all the time. That’s a tough way to live.”

Hamlin believes that some wisdom that he personally received from one of his former Cup Series crew chiefs, Mike Ford — and later passed to Wallace — has been a game changer in Wallace’s maturation as a driver.

“We’re in a business where if you can win 5 percent of the time, you’re a Hall of Famer,” Hamlin said after the Brickyard. “You’re going to lose. This is a losing business. And you have to find happiness in some other way 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.”

After Sunday, it certainly appears like Wallace has taken his team owner’s guidance to heart.

“It just seems that over the last 12 months, the performance is definitely better,” Hamlin said.

Wallace’s performance at Indy might have been the greatest testament yet to his meaningful progression.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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