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Bubba Wallace Says Fellow Driver Felt Like 'Complete Clown' After Daytona 500

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 6:51 PM ET

Bubba Wallace has seen the highs and lows of racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he's qualified to speak on both aspects, even though his career in the series has been relatively short.

Wallace has experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat on track in his time among NASCAR's best, and he could tell that one of his fellow drivers appeared to be out of his element last weekend at Daytona.

Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves competed in the first Daytona 500 of his career and came away with a 39th place finish. During an appearance on the "Door Bumper Clear" podcast, Wallace reflected on how Castroneves likely felt during the weekend.

“I sat there and thought about it when I came on the radio and homeboy [Castroneves] was taking his time into three versus the Duel, he was hauling ass and ate [expletive]," Wallace said.

“And I sat there and I thought about it more, and I felt bad for him. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, I’m sure he’s a great guy, but I’m pretty sure he probably left that whole weekend feeling like a complete clown.”

Wallace's spotter and podcast co-host Freddie Kraft agreed, noting that the automatic qualifying spot presented to Castroneves via the Open Exemption Provisional probably did more harm than good.

“It was the total opposite of what it was designed to do,” Kraft said about the provisional.

“Instead of embracing this world-class driver and giving him a spot, just whether or not you agree with it, everybody just was like, ‘This guy sucks.’ He’s still Helio Castroneves, he does not suck!”

Wallace compared it to a NASCAR driver like himself jumping behind the wheel, essentially sight unseen, to compete in the Indy 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 12: Helio Castroneves, driver of the #91 Wendy's Chevrolet enters the track during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)James Gilbert/Getty Images

“I think about if roles were reversed, I’m not just jumping in the car at the Indy 500,” he added.

“I get a whole month of testing, another month of testing, and then another month on top of that."

Wallace and his co-hosts explained that a driver making their Cup Series debut at Daytona likely has a much greater familiarity with the track and stock car racing as a whole than Castroneves may have had last weekend.

When Kyle Larson - a NASCAR champion - wanted to compete in the Indy 500, he did so after testing an IndyCar at Phoenix before simply joining the race.

We'll see if NASCAR does more to welcome drivers aboard from other disciplines who want to try stock car racing in the future.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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