NASCAR sensation Bubba Wallace came out ahead of the Cup Series race in Music City on Sunday and detailed adding another instrument to his musical resume. However, the 23XI driver revealed how his wife, Amanda Wallace, isn’t the biggest fan of this new hobby.
Wallace is infamous not only for his driving talent but also for his drumming skills. The 32-year-old is a self-taught drummer and regularly shares videos playing drum covers of various songs on social media. 23XI Racing stars having jam sessions with other NASCAR stars, as well as live performances at post-race parties, is a common occurrence.
Most recently, Bubba Wallace shared the stage with Kurt Busch and dedicated a drum cover to the former driver, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. However, one musical instrument wasn’t good enough for Wallace, who has now decided to take a page out of Charles Leclerc’s musical playbook.
The American spoke with Andrew Kurland ahead of the 2026 NASCAR Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Since NASCAR was racing in Music City, it made sense for Bubba Wallace to reveal his latest hobby, i.e., playing the piano.
However, Wallace revealed how his wife Amanda’s patience was tested as he practiced the musical instrument.
“It’s hard with two kids, but I’m still messing around,” Wallace said. “I’ve stopped watching videos and playing what I know, which is about half a song. It annoys the hell out of my wife, but it’s fun.”
Wallace qualified in the top 20 for the Cup race at Nashville and was battling Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher in the midpack when a chain of events led to the 23XI hitting the wall and then Alex Bowman before eventually retiring from the race.
“I’m tired, man”: Bubba Wallace reacts to retiring from the NASCAR Cracker Barrel 400
Nineteen laps into the final stage, Bubba Wallace was taken out following Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher coming together on the inside and middle line. As Buescher ran wide after the contact, he pushed the No. 23 Toyota into the barrier, which then ricocheted off it and into Alex Bowman’s Chevrolet.
At the time, Wallace was running just outside the Top 10. Reacting to a potentially good result being ruined by someone else’s mistake, he said:
“Just minding our own business yet again. Another week that our team doesn’t get the finish that we deserve. I’m tired, man. It’s hard to be in the same boat constantly every week, and you gotta figure out how to put it behind you and show up.
“I somehow become the bad guy days following this. So, I gotta figure out how to be better and learn from it. It’s really freaking hard when you’re driving your best and just trying to make progress throughout the race and you get wiped out. So, onto Michigan.”
After the Nashville race, Bubba Wallace sits just inside the cutoff for the chase, in P15, with 338 points to his name.
