There are an endless number of resources one can dig into that offer theories about how to achieve success. One of the more popular ones within the sports world is the idea of making oneself comfortable with being uncomfortable, and Bubba Wallace seems to be embracing that mindset.
Wallace is putting together the best start to a NASCAR Cup Series season he’s ever had. The No. 23 McDonald’s team from 23XI Racing is seventh in the championship standings and has led 98 laps through six races.
It is happening under the guidance of new crew chief Charles Denike. Denike is in an entirely new environment at the Cup Series level after spending the last five seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Wallace admitted earlier this week that initially, his thinking was about comfort when the change at crew chief was made. He wanted someone he would be comfortable with. But then, through a conversation with his wife, Amanda, Wallace acknowledged that “the people I’ve been comfortable with, we’ve just been OK. Bootie brought me to the next level, and I felt like I took a step, and we plateaued.”
So Wallace decided to step back from the process and let the organization decide who would be the next one to call the shots for his team. Denike stood out to everyone and got the job.
“I don’t know,” Wallace said when asked how Denike makes him uncomfortable. “I don’t really have any complaints about him, which I think is a good thing. I think it was just more from a mental side of things. At the end of the day, we all have jobs, we all need to be human beings and be good to each other. So, I think some of these environments — I’m not speaking from any experience or anything — but you could have somebody who just wants to work on race cars and have no personal relationship out of that, and I don’t really strive on that.