Bubba Wallace searches for speed after disappointing run

AVONDALE, AZ - MARCH 09: Darrell Wallace Jr., driver of the #43 Click n' Close Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway on March 9, 2018 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

AVONDALE, Ariz. – After a spectacular runner-up finish in the season-opening DAYTONA 500, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team have struggled to maintain that level of performance.

Wallace finished 32nd at Atlanta and 21st at Las Vegas. In Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at ISM Raceway, he posted the 27th fastest lap and failed to advance to the second round.

“That’s what we were trying to figure out, where our speed is,” Wallace said after the session. “A little frustrating, but it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. I’m trying to beat that into my head, but we get so far behind when we start back here.

“We’ll go to work (Saturday) on our Click N’ Close Camaro ZL1 and see what we’ve got, try to make some gains and get everything going. Just a little bit of a bummer. Wish we could have obviously gave it a shot for the second round, but we’ll go have some fun (Saturday in practice).”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.