In a one-minute video posted Tuesday on Twitter, Bubba Wallace thanked fans for their “love and support” during “tough times.”
Wallace shared the message four days after he gave an emotional interview at Kansas Speedway where he said he was on the “verge of breaking down” in the moment.
Of his negative mindset, Wallace told reporters: “I’ll be damned if it doesn’t all go away when you get behind the wheel. I guess it’s just 16 years of driving helps. But it’s tough. You see what you get now, I’m on the verge of breaking down.”
Those comments came after he tweeted on May 6 that he hadn’t “been (in) a good place for some time now” and then “with a laugh and smile like this every week you’d think there is no way one could mask so much negative and dark 💩. Lonely dark roads ain’t fun, keep on keeping on I guess.”
In Tuesday’s video, Wallace said messages of encouragement are “definitely not going unread.
“Every tweet, every message, every way to reach me has been read by me. I may not like, I may not comment back or respond back. It’s just tough times right now. But I do appreciate it and it makes me cry reading all that stuff. Makes me feel really good and humbled to know there’s that love and support out there. Thank you, guys, I love you.”
Wallace then addressed this weekend’s All-Star Race. Wallace will compete in the Monster Energy Open. He can transfer to the All-Star Race by winning one of the three stages or through the fan vote.
“A shot at a million dollars is nice, not exactly sure it would help with what’s going on,” Wallace said. “But I’d love to get behind the wheel and fight for you guys and hell, I’d probably buy you guys a beverage or two if we won.”
Wallace is in his second season with Richard Petty Motorsports, which has struggled to find sponsorship for him and the No. 43 Chevrolet. Wallace has two top-20 finishes through 12 races this year.
Much love to you all. pic.twitter.com/UdBZIY2SKO
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) May 14, 2019