NASCAR's Bubba Wallace admits to having gone through difficult times

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – NASCAR rider Bubba Wallace admitted to having gone through difficult times, on and off the track, before crumbling in tears before Saturday night's race at Kansas Speedway.

Wallace, 25, struggled through his second full season at NASCAR, his best 17th place finish in Martinsville. The iconic number 43 of Richard Petty Motorsports ranks 28th, far from being contested week after week.

Wallace was talking about the challenges the team faced on Friday when he said, "You try to be the best you can be and sometimes it's not good enough." he faced the turmoil partly by riding in his car.

"I'm going to be cursed," Wallace said softly, his blue hat folded over his eyes. "Everything disappears when you drive. It's 16 years of driving. It helps. But it is difficult.

It was then, between training and qualifying, that Wallace said, "I'm about to break down. And I am what I am. He then buried his face in his hands.

"It was a tough time for a while," said Wallace, who is usually optimistic, from Alabama and only NASCAR's top black driver. "I'm just trying to do everything I can."

Wallace is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, one of the reasons he became a favorite among many fans. Tears also sank after his second place finish at Daytona 500 last year, which remains his only top-five finish in 51 league games.

There were signs for some time that Wallace was struggling beyond the track, but the results certainly did not help. Normally considered a source of joy on social media, Wallace wrote in a pair of tweets earlier this week that he had not "been in the right place for quite some time now."

Accompanying a montage showing Wallace joking, he tweeted, "Ha. With a laugh and a smile like this every week, you'd think it's impossible to hide so many negative and dark things (poop). The dark and lonely roads are not fun, continues to continue, I suppose.

Wallace admitted Friday that he had crossed the bleachers after Monday's race in Dover and heard people shout for support. He said that it was an edifying moment after a difficult weekend.

"They were just shouting my name," Wallace said. "A frustrating weekend, but going through the stands, was nice. It was nice to see all the support and love. "

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