"I’m living the dream": When Bubba Wallace found stability with Richard Petty Motorsports
Bubba Wallace's career took a significant turn after his second-place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500. It earned him a seat for the second consecutive season with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) as he found stability ahead of the 2019 season.
Bubba Wallace began the 2018 season looking for a team in the NASCAR Cup Series and spent the offseason in uncertainty. However, RPM saw potential and gave him the iconic #43 car, which is synonymous with seven-time champion Richard Petty. Wallace was able to repay the faith as he started the series by finishing second in the season-opener at Daytona, and later managed to finish in the top ten thrice that year.
This performance earned the then-25-year-old a permanent ride in the #43 Chevrolet Camaro for RPM. Wallace thus became the first African-American since Wendell Scott in 1971 to secure a full-time Cup ride, and he was full of gratitude after his newfound stability.
“Every other offseason, it’s like, ‘Well, what are we doing?' Now, knowing for certain that I’ll be climbing in the No. 43 for my second season – sophomore season – in Cup is incredible," Wallace said (via Motorsport).
“Thanks to everybody. I’m just living the dream. Thanks to everyone at RPM for giving me this opportunity, ‘The King’ (Richard Petty) for allowing me to go out and try not to wreck any more cars,” he added.
While Bubba Wallace was filled with gratitude about securing a full-time NASCAR Cup Series spot, he had trouble finding sponsors. Talking about the same, he said:
“I don’t know the number (for sponsorship), but it’s been 16 years of trying to land that big-time sponsor. FedEx and Mars are probably the two biggest now. Lowe’s is leaving, so I know that scene is gone, but we’re still looking for big corporations to take part in our program.”
Bubba Wallace determined to grow with Richard Petty Motorsports' new leadership
Amidst the sponsorship search, Bubba Wallace had to adjust to internal changes at RPM as well. His crew chief for 2018, Drew Blickensderfer had resigned from the team and joined Front Row Motorsports. This left a gap for the #43 team which was filled by RPM's former lead engineer, Derek Stamets.
Wallace acknowledged the need to build chemistry with the new leadership to convert performances into results and insisted on patience.
“It’s going to take time to grow together. We got a new crew chief, new car chief. We’ll try to get some new (sponsor) partners throughout the season as well. We’ll look to keep pressing forward," he said.
Despite these early season challenges, Wallace found strong performances throughout the season, finishing third at the 2019 Brickyard 400, which is one of the crown jewel races in the Cup Series.