A great deal has happened in the 31 years Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. has been on the planet. He’s risen from obscurity in Mobile, Alabama, through the rough-and-tumble world of motorsports to become a star at the pinnacle of American motorsports: the NASCAR Cup Series. Along the way, he not only broke down barriers but crushed them like he was driving a Mack truck over a cardboard box.
He now rubs elbows with celebrities and counts among his inner circle sports legend Michael Jordan, who also happens to be one of the people who signs his paycheck. He’s been the subject of docuseries, voiced a character in a Cars movie, and has become a brand ambassador for some of America’s biggest companies.
And while much has changed in his life, nothing could compare to the change that happened to the driver simply known as Bubba on September 29 of this year. It was on that Sunday, while he was racing in Kansas, that his wife Amanda gave birth to a son, Becks Hayden.
Those of us who have become parents know quite well how a child will change your life. Before it comes about, though, we are told so by many, but we never really understand it. That is, until it happens, and we begin to grasp how a child transforms everything, in ways both big and small. Bubba is learning that firsthand with his new son, whom he affectionately calls “little man.”
“We got to wait on little man hand and foot,” Bubba said. “He wants to feed every two to three hours sometimes. Cluster feed for five hours.”
He’s also learning that just weeks ago, what would have been a routine day, or a simple outing now feels like a carefully planned tactical operation.
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“We went to brunch the other day, and my man’s passed out for the last hour and a half sitting there,” he said. “We’re having a nice talk at the table, and as soon as the food comes, he is wide awake, screaming, wanting to feed, and it’s like ‘ooh man, sorry mama, you got to wait to eat now. He’s got to eat.’”
It’s an adjustment he’s learning to make.
“It takes a little bit more time, I say add on 15 minutes to what you previously would do—you’re going to be 15 minutes late,” he said. “You know, that’s OK. You got a pretty damn good excuse.
“But it’s all been great, it’s all been fun. He’s healthy, mama’s healthy, so it’s good.”
In the bigger picture, however, little man has changed Bubba’s perspective, something he never thought imaginable.
“You know, racing comes second now,” he said. “I don’t say that easily. For the last… 22 years, it’s been all racing. Marriage came, that was a great head-to-head there of, you know, showing up to be the best husband you can be and provide for your family then. Well, now you got a little one here.”
