NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is celebrating a strong showing at the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, and says he's feeling good heading into the next stretch of the season.
Wallace, who races the No. 23 car for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin, joined "CBS Mornings" on Monday to talk about the momentum he's building and the changes in his life on and off the track.
Importance of "being a great family man"
Wallace said becoming a father six months ago to son Beckett has shifted his mindset in a powerful way.
"Nothing else matters anymore, besides being a great father, being a great husband, being a great family man," Wallace said. "Prior to that, it was always racing first, and I've missed out on a lot of good memories and opportunities by putting that first and causing a lot of stress from within or the people surrounding me ... It took having a kid to realize there's so much more to life."
He credited his wife, Amanda, with holding things together at home while he balances a busy race schedule and sponsorship obligations.
"My wife is the absolute trooper," Wallace said. "The six months have been nothing short of craziness for her ... I don't see all that she has to deal with, and so more power to the mothers."
When asked what scares him, the fearless driver admitted it's not high speeds or even the idea of space travel it's spiders and the dark.
"Now with our son, we sleep with the door open that has our light on down in the hallway, so you get a little bit," he said with a laugh.
The excitement of racing
Wallace may seem confident, he admitted that even top athletes battle self-doubt and nerves.
"The last couple weeks, I've gotten the bluesnervous through practice, qualifying, even in the race. I don't know why, but we finished third the last two weeks," Wallace said. "So hopefully, they keep coming, because it's been working."
Wallace has been with 23XI Racing since its debut in 2021, and has become a cornerstone of the team. He said racing still excites him every time he gets behind the wheel, despite the grind of a long NASCAR season.
"With the demands that our sport provides and the requests that it wants from you, you have to find a little joy in it," he said. "These seasons are long. Our first off weekend is coming up here in two weeks. Our first and only off weekend."
At Martinsville, Wallace said his car topped out at about 110 miles per hour a speed that may feel routine for professional drivers but is anything but ordinary.
"Traffic here is just like what we experience every Sunday," he joked about New York. "Just in and out of traffic. But we don't have horns, though."
Wallace also talked about staying in regular contact with Jordan, who remains deeply involved with the team.
"We talk multiple times throughout the week, and definitely, there's a text before and definitely after a race," he said. "He's watching. Good or bad, win, lose, or draw, he's always watching."
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美国国家汽车运动协会（NASCAR）的巴布·华莱士（Bubba Wallace）在马丁斯维尔赛车场（Martinsville Speedway）举办的“Cook Out 400”比赛中表现出色，并表示他对即将到来的新赛季充满信心。
为23XI Racing车队驾驶23号赛车的华莱士，该车队由NBA传奇人物迈克尔·乔丹和车手丹尼·哈林共同拥有，他于周一参加了“CBS晨间新闻”，谈及他正在积聚的势头以及他在赛道内外的变化。
“成为伟大的家庭成员”的重要性
华莱士表示，六个月前成为贝克特（Beckett）的父亲后，他的心态发生了重大转变。
"除了成为一个伟大的父亲、丈夫和家庭支柱之外，其他都不再重要。" Wallace 说道。"在此之前，我总是将比赛放在首位，因此错过了很多美好的回忆和机会，这给我自己和周围的人带来了很多压力……直到我有了孩子，我才意识到生活中还有许多其他重要的东西。"
他感谢他的妻子阿曼达（Amanda）在家中维持着日常运转，让他能够平衡繁忙的比赛日程和赞助商的义务。
华莱士说：“我的妻子绝对是个女强人，六个月来她所经历的一切简直令人疯狂……我无法想象她所面对的一切，所以，向所有母亲致以最崇高的敬意。”
当被问及什么使他感到害怕时，这位无畏的驾驶员坦言，他并非害怕高速驾驶，甚至不惧太空旅行的想法——他害怕的是蜘蛛和黑暗。
现在有了我们的儿子，我们睡觉时把门开着，门下走廊的灯亮着，所以你会得到一点点光亮，他笑着说。
赛车的刺激
华莱士虽然看起来自信满满，但他也承认，即使是顶尖的运动员也会在内心深处挣扎，面对自我怀疑和紧张情绪。
过去几个星期，我陷入了忧郁——在练习、资格赛甚至在比赛中都感到紧张。我不知道为什么，但过去两周我们最终获得了第三名。我希望这种情况能继续保持，因为这很有效。
华莱士自2021年23XI Racing车队首次亮相以来，一直是该车队的核心成员。尽管经历了漫长的NASCAR赛季的疲惫，但他表示每次坐在方向盘后，赛车仍然让他兴奋不已。
他说：“面对我们这项运动提出的要求和你想要从它那里得到的东西，你必须在其中找到一丝乐趣。这些赛季很长。我们的第一个休息周末即将在两周后到来，这也是我们唯一的休息周末。”
在马丁斯维尔，华莱士说他的车时速最高达到了110英里/小时——这个速度对专业司机来说可能感觉是司空见惯的，但绝对不寻常。
他笑着谈论纽约的交通状况：“这里的交通状况就像我们每周日所经历的那样，只是进出交通而已。不过我们这里没有汽车喇叭声。”
华莱士还谈到了与乔丹保持定期联系的话题，乔丹依然与球队保持着紧密的联系。
他说：“我们每周会多次交谈，比赛前后肯定都会发信息。他一直都在关注着。无论结果好坏，无论输赢还是平局，他始终在关注。”
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