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“Fu**in Hard” Bubba Wallace Frustrated With Phoenix and refuse to listen to Denny Hamlin’s podcast
“Fu**in Hard” Bubba Wallace Frustrated With Phoenix and refuse to listen to Denny Hamlin’s podcast
The fourth Cup race of the season unfolded in Phoenix with new adjustments. NASCAR’s biannual modifications to its short-track package saw the light of day on the one-mile track. The new aero rules were designed to ease things a bit for drivers. However, some of them, including Bubba Wallace, argued that the result differed.
Since introducing the seventh-generation car, NASCAR has strived to improve things for both racers and fans. Recently, the addition of a simplified diffuser and a four-inch spoiler tweaked the package. The racing series intended to produce a better show for fans, and more importantly, increase passing. But Bubba Wallace seems to differ.
Bubba Wallace on what makes him want to go to the new 23XI shop that is located right off the highway just north of Charlotte more than its previous shop in Mooresville. And how will he listen to Denny Hamlin’s podcast if it’s a shorter drive?
Bubba Wallace shared a piece of his mind about short-track tweaks
NASCAR tinkered with the short-track package last year, putting it to the test in December. Six teams were invited to try out a range of potential changes to the set-up. The ultimate goal was to make the car handling smoother in traffic. Eventually, racers would have more opportunities to pass rather than fumbling for moves at every turn.
Yet Bubba Wallace did fumble and found it incredibly difficult to pass his fellow racers on the Avondale-based track last Sunday. His emotions bubbled over in a mid-race frustration. Wallace simmered over the radio: “Just so we’re aware, it’s really, really, really, really f**king hard to pass at this place.”
Post-race the stream of his complaints did not stop. Wallace made sure to put out the message to his team. “Whatever the hardest thing y’all done in life… It ain’t got s**t on trying to pass here in Phoenix,” he said.
“Whatever the hardest thing y’all done in life… It ain’t got shit on trying to pass here in Phoenix,” -Bubba
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) March 10, 2024
Wallace faced a three-car wreck with 92 laps to go in the race. When he was attempting to go four-wide and make a possible pass, Chase Briscoe nudged him. That sent Wallace ramming into Erik Jones, who slammed against the wall.
Bubba’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, defended the No. 23 car’s move, saying, “Is there is there a rule against making it for a while? – No, I mean, it’s hard to pass at Phoenix. You make your own luck,” he argued. “If there was a rule against making a four wide let me know because I was four wide.”
William Byron, the 2024 Daytona winner, shared Wallace’s views before Phoenix. He said he “couldn’t get within two, three car lengths of anyone” in Friday’s practice session. However, the aero package was not the only development or perhaps a hindrance in the Phoenix race.
Tire changes stirred less controversy than the aero rules
Ahead of the Shriner’s Children 500 race in Phoenix, Goodyear brought out a new tire with a thicker gage (tread). The objective was to keep heat in the tires and increase lap-time fall-off. Unlike the aero package, the wider tires got the stamp of approval from many drivers.
Daniel Suarez shared his opinion, “Honestly, I feel like the biggest difference is that we have maybe a little bit more speed in the front-end because the tire is softer.”
Chase Briscoe harbored a more neutral approach. “They change the tire all the time. Not only does it not make the racing look any different, but it’s really hard to tell from inside the car.” He further added, “Typically, the same guys run good every week whether there’s a tire compound change or not.”
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![Inspiredlovers FI-ES-1-16-400x240 “[Michael Jordan] Fire Him” – Bubba Wallace Left Fuming After Being Blamed for Nearly Taking Out His Own Photographer Sports Bubba Wallace](https://inspiredlovers.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FI-ES-1-16-400x240.webp "Inspiredlovers FI-ES-1-16-400x240 “[Michael Jordan] Fire Him” – Bubba Wallace Left Fuming After Being Blamed for Nearly Taking Out His Own Photographer Sports Bubba Wallace")
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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