Bubba Wallace claps back at haters after Brickyard 400 win: ‘I’m already winning at life’

Bubba Wallace held off Kyle Larson on a pair of overtime restarts, pushing his fuel to its limits as he won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on Sunday. An exhausted Wallace chatted with reporters after the win and had a little something to say to the haters.

Wallace was asked by TNT reporter Marty Snider what he would say to his detractors. Wallace, who was bent over at the time seemingly trying to catch his breath, immediately perked up and his eyes went wide as he readied his answer.

“It don’t matter. I’m already winning at life,” Wallace said. “I’ve got the best wife, the best kid. People are always going to say something. I am excited to see how far the goalpost has moved. So I get to go and chase that now.”

Bubba Wallace spent a few minutes celebrating on the track with his wife and kid, enjoying a special moment. But he already seemed to know the noise won’t necessarily quiet with a win.

That’s the nature of being a high-level driver in NASCAR. There’s always a next goal, a next race, a next championship to achieve.

But the backdrop for Bubba Wallace was extra special. Not only because his family was there to celebrate with him in victory lane, but because his team has been involved in an ongoing knockdown, drag-out lawsuit with NASCAR.

“Unbelievable,” Wallace said. “To win here at the Brickyard, knowing how big this race is, knowing all the noise that’s going on in the background, to set that all aside is a testament to these people here on this 23 team. It’s been getting old running on the cut line.”

Bubba Wallace doesn’t have to worry about the cut line anymore, barring a scenario where multiple new drivers win races in the coming weeks. Still, he should be pretty certain of his position at this point.

One thing he was absolutely certain of? He let Snider know.

“How many days since my last win?” Wallace asked. “100 (races) since his last win,” Snider said on the air.

Bubba Wallace was already starting to walk away. When he heard that, he instantly started back toward Snider, getting close to the mic and emphatically stating his case.

“Zero,” Wallace said. Snider had to concede.

“Now it’s zero, that’s right for Bubba Wallace,” Snider said. “He wins the Brickyard 400, and by the way, welcome to the playoffs as well for the 23 team.”