“A Lot of Courage from my Wife”: Bubba Wallace Wary of the Possibility of Death Every time He Steps in the Race Car
Bubba Wallace and his wife Amanda Wallace poses on the red carpet for the 2023 NASCAR Awards Banquet at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. , Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
| Credits- © Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK Drivers walk a tightrope between speed and survival in NASCAR’s next-gen era. Engine rules peg output to 510 hp on superspeedways and 650-750 hp elsewhere, but the stopwatch tells a different story once cautions and pit cycles come into play. A risk element is always present, but those who truly want to win, like Bubba Wallace, don’t shy away from pushing to the limit.
Races often settle into averages between 130 and 145 mph, with the 2026 Daytona 500 clocking 147. 107 mph. On intermediates, drivers run in the 120–150 mph range, while short tracks drop that range to 80–120 mph, and road courses have the Next Gen cars going left and right at 70–95 mph.
Even with exceptional protection built into the current car, there’s always some danger. NASCAR’s past carries its share of loss, and every lap at speed, door-to-door and inches apart, keeps that truth close at hand. Wallace laid it bare in an interview with CBS, admitting that the risk of losing life is real, and it’s grown more as life away from the track continues to evolve.
“I fear death because everything is right here. I’m enjoying life with our beautiful baby boy, my beautiful wife, and our beautiful home that we just built. Everything is just clicking,” Wallace said .