Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace Jr. recall debut Daytona 500 experience

NASCAR drivers Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace Jr. recently spoke about their experiences in their maiden appearance at the Daytona 500. Surprisingly though, the memories of their debuts were quite contrasting.

Between the two, Larson made the earliest debut. Speaking about his first appearance in 2014, while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, the 29-year-old said:

“[It] went terrible for me. I hit the wall like Lap 2 and then had a rain delay and had to stay overnight and finish the race the next day.”

Larson ended up crashing the next day, finishing 38th in the final standings. Despite it being a disappointing Daytona weekend, the only good thing the driver remembers from that outing is the pre-race festivities. He said:

“My first Daytona 500, I remember walking down the catwalk thingie for driver intros, which was really neat, and the crowd was huge… It was not a very good first Daytona 500 for me, but just getting to experience the driver intros and stuff for the first time was really cool.”

In stark contrast, Bubba Wallace Jr. had a memorable debut. His first start at the Daytona 500 came in 2018 for Richard Petty Motorsports. He started seventh in the race and finished second in the final standings.

In 2018, Bubba finished P2 in the Daytona 500 and I created my first NASCAR painting. Yesterday, he signed the painting I did of his first P1 in NASCAR Cup.
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Notice he signed Darrel Wallace, Jr. on the first painting.
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@BubbaWallace @23XIRacing @NASCAR

In 2018, Bubba finished P2 in the Daytona 500 and I created my first NASCAR painting. Yesterday, he signed the painting I did of his first P1 in NASCAR Cup. ????????.Notice he signed Darrel Wallace, Jr. on the first painting. .@BubbaWallace @23XIRacing @NASCAR https://t.co/XW433RuU1L

Speaking about his debut, Wallace Jr. said:

“My first Daytona 500 experience was one that I’ll never forget, finishing second in my first attempt. [I was] doing my best not to make a mistake, speeding on pit road and losing the draft… Just a whirlwind of a day.”

This year marks the fifth entry in the Great American Race for the 28-year-old driver. Now plying his trade for 23XI Racing, he will be hoping to improve upon his debut performance. On surpassing his previous achievements, he said:

“It’s a really tall task going back because to beat that day, you’ve got to win the Daytona 500, and we know how hard it is.”

Kyle Larson on pole while Bubba Wallace Jr. 16th for 2022 Daytona 500

Kyle Larson went fastest on Wednesday’s qualifying for the 64th edition of the Great American Race. He qualified on pole position with a time of 49.68 seconds and a speed of 181.159 mph.

In doing so, he made 2022 the 10th year in a row where a Chevrolet has placed in front of the grid. The pole position on Wednesday also marked the 15th time that Larson’s team Hendrick Motorsports has achieved the feat, which is the highest among all teams currently on the grid.

Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace Jr. went 16th fastest on Wednesday with a time of 50.196 seconds and a speed of 179.297 mph. This pushed him into the Bluegreen Vacation Duel 2 to set the final grid, as per the new qualifying rules for the Great American Race.

Although the 23XI Racing driver went 7th fastest in Duel 2, it was not enough to lift him from his earlier 16th position, which is where he will start Sunday’s race.

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