According to veteran journalist and broadcaster Bob Pockras, Baba Wallace must find “better consistency” to increase his chances of being higher in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series rankings.
Driving a Toyota Camry for the 23xi race, Wallace held back over Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports to win Sunday’s Cup Series race in Indianapolis, securing a berth in the playoffs.
He marked his third victory in the top category of NASCAR, snapping his 100-race unwinning streak dating back to 2022.
After the race, Wallace admitted that his own mind was his “bigest problem” and explained that self-doubt had prevented him from regularly challenging for more wins.
With him winning in 2025, Pockrass believes Wallace needs to deal with another important area to secure a strong playoff run.
“If he runs deeper into the playoffs, he needs to have better consistency. I think he can get through the first round, but in the second round, you’re talking about New Hampshire, then Kansas, and Kansas.
Wallace has only secured his place in the playoffs for the second time in his career, and he considers Pockrass to be an achievement in itself.
Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23xi Racing, realized why Wallace wasn’t as successful as he could and offered advice to the 31-year-old.
“His valley wasn’t that low,” Hamlin said. “On a bad day, he would have been able to distinguish between it and then think about positive things and ‘everything’. That’s the hard way to live.
“If we can win 5% of the time, you’re in the Hall of Fame. You’ll lose. This is a business that you’ve lost and you have to find happiness in other ways than actually win.
“Mike Ford said early in my career that was the best advice I’ve ever given, and that’s certainly something that needs to be told by Baba.
Wallace’s form was boosted by the arrival of new crew chief Bootie Barker in 2025 with a new focus on the family.