INDIANAPOLIS -- As the laps clicked down at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace sounded calm over the radio. But he dealt with some significant turmoil.
He was leading the Brickyard 400, one of NASCAR's crown jewel races, while an inner voice spewed negative comments.
"I'll say those last 20 laps, there was ups and downs of telling myself, 'You're not going to be able to do it,'" Wallace told media members on Sunday night.
These are not the thoughts that Wallace wanted to have. He is someone who pushes himself to be the best in stock car racing.
Yet, that self-doubt lingered as he continued completing laps, especially as he learned that a Cup Series champion tried to erase a nearly four-second deficit.
"I have found my biggest problem, and that's this," Wallace said while pointing to his head. "If I could shut that off mentally, fully, we could do a lot more of this (winning).
"...We're all human, and we're all super hard on ourselves. You guys know how hard I am on myself. But at the same time, I was combating, and I'm like, 'We can do this.'
"It's kind of like the angel and devil on your shoulder. It wasn't all negative. But to even have that thought, it's like, 'Man, come on, focus.'"
The situation -- and Wallace's mindset -- completely changed the moment rain began falling in Turn 1 at the 2.5-mile track. NASCAR threw the caution and completely erased Wallace's advantage.
The conversation quickly turned to whether the tower would restart the race or call it with five laps remaining. Believe it or not, Wallace wanted nothing more than to line up for what would be an overtime restart.
"I will say the first thing that came to my mind is like, 'Here we go again,'" he said with a smile. "If it rains and it ends it, Lord have mercy, Twitter's going to blow up.
"And I said that for a second, but I was like, 'Man, I really want to win this straight up. I want to go back racing.'"
Wallace did not have to wait for much longer. The red flag delay only lasted just over 18 minutes while the crews dried Turn 1. Once the surface was ready, Wallace led the field back out for the choose.
This was a pivotal moment in his career. Yes, he has been one of NASCAR's best at restarts in recent seasons, but he was the control car entering overtime of a crown jewel race. He also lined up next to Kyle Larson, a Cup Series champion with 32 career wins and the defending Brickyard 400 winner.
Many drivers in NASCAR history had faced similar pressure-filled moments. Many had made mistakes and faltered.
This was not the case for Wallace. He rose to the occasion and held off the driver he called "arguably the best in the field" on two different restarts.
"It's in those moments where you either 'S*** or get off the pot,' as they say," Wallace explained. "In those laps where I'm like, 'You're going to give this away,' the other side was like, 'You got this. You're about to show everybody why you belong here.'"
BUBBA WALLACE IS A WINNER AT THE BRICKYARD! pic.twitter.com/5ITVgH9m8f
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 27, 2025
Wallace did exactly that on Sunday evening as he delivered 23XI Racing's first crown jewel win. He also put himself into the playoffs with a regular-season win for the first time in his career.
The inner turmoil is nothing new for Wallace. He has dealt with this throughout his Cup Series career. The negative thoughts and the "valleys" have gotten the best of him at times, but this has not been the case in the last year.
What has been the biggest difference? Multiple answers exist.
A fine for a post-race incident in Chicago played a role, as did 23XI Racing partnering him with crew chief Charles Denike. Welcoming his first son, Becks, into the world made the biggest impact.
"Putting family first, that's all that matters. It makes things easier," Wallace said. "It gives you something to kind of focus onto. The racing stuff is kind of secondary now, and you have to go through a mental shift to say that, especially for me because I remember when Amanda and I first started dating, I'm like, 'Hey, racing is everything, right?'
"I knew I made a mistake saying that, and it took me all these years to realize this isn't always going to be here. I think it's better to enjoy the moments like this, but nothing can overcome the joy, the times you have with your family at home in a private setting, and then you just so happen to be a race car driver on Sundays."
As Sunday showed, this is a vastly different Bubba Wallace than the one who finished second in his first Daytona 500 start or even the one who took 23XI Racing to victory lane for the first time at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021.
The inner turmoil and self doubt will still exist, but as Wallace showed on Sunday evening, it will no longer be in control.