Sports

Bubba Wallace on life with two young children, and wishing for more time: 12 Questions

Published

3 months ago

April 29, 2026

Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, who enters this week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway ranked 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. This interview has been edited, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions Podcast.

1. Do you typically arrive for things early, late or on time, and why?

Right on time. I could get there five minutes early, but I’m not walking in until the minute of. I’m not a big small-talk person — I just want to get in and get out.

I think about production days. If my call time is 10:30, I’m walking in at 10:29. That’s just how I am. You could show up five minutes early and get started earlier, but that’s never the case because your call time doesn’t mean you’re actually starting — it’s like 30 minutes after that. So I show up right on time.

2. What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?

What’s annoying is the mad dash at short tracks when it’s choose time (on the lap before the race resumes, drivers pick a lane to choose where to restart the race). At Martinsville, we’re rushing to get all the cars through. Why not do two laps to go? Bristol, same thing. Why are we rushing?

And then the choose cone being so close to the start/finish line at road courses — COTA, Sonoma — there are different straightaways we could use. We wait until the last little bit, and that’s it.

You’re right, because from the press box, you’ll see the first few guys kind of take their time, and then all of a sudden everybody’s speeding up, rushing to catch the back of the field, and then it’s going green.

Yeah, like when we’ve had to restart in the back, I’m in third gear, fourth gear going into (Turn) 3 just trying to catch up.

Don’t talk about adding more caution laps though — people don’t like that.

We already run 15! Jesus Christ, at least do something productive inside those 15. (Laughs.)

3. What is something you’ve learned to stop explaining to people?

My feelings. I’m dealing with this or that, whether it’s inside the race car or whatever, but I don’t need to explain it. It’s just like … whatever. Move on.

4. If you could go back to the early days before you reached NASCAR, what is one different decision you wish you had made?

The first thing that came to mind was not going to Roush (for the O’Reilly Series). So it was either seven (O’Reilly) races with JGR or full-time at Roush. And we went with Roush.

But if I didn’t go to Roush, then I wouldn’t fill in for (Aric) Almirola when he broke his back (in 2017) because of the Ford connection, and that sparked my Cup career.

But if you had stayed at JGR …?

Who knows? Because they were really hell-bent on Erik Jones.

With five top-10s this season, Bubba Wallace is currently 12th in the Cup Series standings. (David Jensen / Getty Images)

5. What is it like to be in a debrief after a bad race?

Oh, it sucks. You go to Martinsville, you make a bonehead move (when he wrecked Carson Hocevar and himself out of anger), you set the team back, you set yourself back, and no one’s happy. The mood’s just down. Especially when none of our cars run well in that race.

It’s not fun, but you still try to be as productive as you can. The overall feeling — it’s almost like you can cut the tension with a knife. But it’s not tension between each other, it’s just the atmosphere.

6. I’m asking each driver a pair of wild-card questions: One about the past and one about the present. Looking back at your first career win at Talladega (in 2021), what stands out now about that memory and that day?

It was crazy. With 20-something laps to go, Bootie (Barker, his crew chief) said we needed to save fuel to start the run — and then it was just like, “All right, you’re good, go ahead.”

We jumped to the top and went to the lead like it was a video game. It was weird. No one really pulled up to block us.

I had Kurt (Busch) behind me helping, and then I dropped down behind Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) because I thought the run had died out, and then we fell back and got back up there.

But I vividly remember that moment — it was like the handcuffs were off, go ahead. We went from like 20th to the lead like it was nothing.

Of course, I couldn’t win it in a normal fashion (since it was rain-shortened). Had to be rain delayed and all that. So it’s kind of fitting for me.

7. In terms of the present, how has life been adjusting to two kids under the age of 2? Your daughter Cameron is now a month old.

Holy s—. That was weird to hear. That’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that.

She is a lot. She’s hard to settle for whatever reason. Obviously, she’s super attached to mama right now and breastfeeding and all, so I’m not much help.

Last night, she was up for three hours in the middle of the night. She always has one rough stretch where she just can’t go back to sleep. She fights sleep a lot.

She’s definitely different. (Son) Becks was just not sleeping through the whole night, but Cameron is like — one night she’s fine, down in five minutes. But during the day, she doesn’t nap. She struggles to take a nap.

So we’re going through it right now. It is interesting to see the differences. Last night at 4:30, I woke up wide awake and I went back and looked at Becks’ newborn photos and literally said out loud, “Whose f—ng kid is this?” It didn’t look like him at all.

Then you go to the one-month photos, and both kids have my eyebrows, just mean-mugging the whole time. So that’s fitting.

8. If you could get any driver’s helmet in the history of motorsports, whose would it be?

Lewis Hamilton. I haven’t reached out. I need to get to an F1 race, but schedules are crazy. Vegas would work, but I don’t want to travel back out west after just finishing (the NASCAR season).

I’ve traded with Scotty (McLaughlin, his friend from IndyCar), traded with (Ryan) Blaney, so this is a new thing for me. I want to trade with Jimmie (Johnson) — we talked about it. But other than that, I’m good. I like (to keep) my helmets.

9. When things are not going well, do you prefer people leave you alone or check in on you?

Leave me alone. Big time.

How long does that last?

I wish it could last a lot longer, but basically a day. A day or two.

10. What is something about yourself that would surprise people who think they “know” you?

People probably say, “Bubba’s an a—hole.”

But you’re here to say no?

I mean, I can be. We all can. I don’t know. I can’t answer that one.

11. What is something you laugh about now that was absolutely not funny at the time?

(Thinks for a while …) I don’t know. I’m drawing a blank.

12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. The last one was with Austin Cindric and he wanted to know: “If you could add one zero to anything in your life, what would it be and why?”

I’d say time. My first instinct was money, but that’s a double-edged sword. Time — there’s not enough time in the day.

I hate how my kid is starting a job tomorrow and has a 730 credit score right now. It’s nuts. Everyone says everything happens fast once you have kids, and it’s true.

If you have more time, you have more time to live. Right now, I’m up at 7 a.m. every day, it’s me and Becks, we’re man-to-man coverage. He goes down around 11 for his nap, wakes up, then you’re just clock-watching until the next part of the day when bath time is coming up. It’s like a cycle.

It used to not be like this, obviously. So yeah — more time.

Sports

Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for Aug. 9, 2026, puzzle No. 685

Published

2 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.

A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes the answers — and hints — for the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.

You can access today’s game here. And when you’re done, try out our limited-edition Connections: Soccer Edition for an extra challenge.

Today’s difficulty

Game No. 685’s difficulty: 1.5 out of 5

Connections: Sports Edition hints for Aug. 9, 2026

Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.

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Yellow: ICE SKATE

Green: TURF TOE

Blue: LANSDOWNE STREET

Purple: CITY GROUND

Connections: Sports Edition answers for Aug. 9, 2026

Scroll below for the full answers to each of the four categories.

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Yellow

Equipment that comes in pairs: ICE SKATE, SHIN GUARD, SKI POLE, SOCCER CLEAT

Green

Injuries: HIP POINTER, SHIN SPLINTS, TENNIS ELBOW, TURF TOE

Blue

Fenway Park sights: CITGO SIGN, GREEN MONSTER, LANSDOWNE STREET, PESKY’S POLE

Purple

Premier League venues: CITY GROUND, OLD TRAFFORD, STADIUM OF LIGHT, STAMFORD BRIDGE

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic’s first-ever game, a daily puzzle designed for players to find connections between 16 words on the game board.

The game’s objective is to group words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible. Find the groups without making four mistakes. Each puzzle has exactly one solution, so watch out for words or items that seem to belong to multiple categories!

Category examples:
Sports ____ : Fan, Car, Bar, Radio
U.S. Summer Olympians: Biles, Phelps, Ledecky, Lyles

Each category group is assigned a color, revealed as you solve, ranging from straightforward (yellow) to medium (green) to challenging (blue) to tricky (purple).

Who creates the puzzles for Connections: Sports Edition?

That’s me! My name is Mark Cooper, and I create Connections: Sports Edition and work as a managing editor for college sports here at The Athletic. I was previously The Athletic’s managing editor for breaking news.

The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!

Sports

Huddersfield Giants moving to Dewsbury: Super League side switching home from 2027 season onwards | Rugby League News

Published

8 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Betfred Super League side Huddersfield Giants have announced they are to leave the town and move to Dewsbury for the 2027 season onwards.

The Giants’ intention is to move into Dewsbury’s Flair Stadium, subject to RFL board approval, investing a projected £10m-plus in developing the ground.

The investment will deliver a transformational upgrade of the venue, including the construction of a new stand that will increase capacity from 5,000 to around 8,000 spectators, creating a viewing area on all four sides of the pitch.

The redevelopment will also feature refurbishment of the fan concourses, significant upgrades to existing and new hospitality suites, new bars and food areas, both male and female player dressing rooms, and press facilities elevating the stadium to Super League standards.

An agreement has been reached following extensive and amicable negotiations with Betfred Championship team, Dewsbury Rams, and a strong partnership between the two clubs has been forged. The Flair will continue to host the Rams in the newly-upgraded and dual-branded facility.

This comes following a period of uncertainty for the Giants after seeking a permanent location in the Huddersfield area.

Owner of the club, Ken Davy OBE, has explored several alternative sites, including The Shay Stadium in Halifax.

Speaking of the decision, Davy said: “It’s no secret that as a club, we have fought to find a home in Huddersfield. We had to move from Fartown, from Leeds Road, and now from the Accu Stadium. But the Huddersfield Giants will not retreat. We will not compromise or quietly shuffle into the shadows.

“While we remain the Huddersfield Giants, I am proud to announce that our stage for the 2027 season and beyond is Dewsbury.

“The Flair Stadium is the perfect location for us, it will have the right capacity and facilities for the Giants and its fans to thrive while we continue the search for our permanent home. Our one giant future starts now.

“My overriding aim is to create a purpose-built stadium within Huddersfield for the Giants to call home. My commitment on that has not wavered. However, that was not feasible for the 2027 season.”

Ralph Rimmer OBE, executive chairman of the Huddersfield Giants, added: “The Giants’ future is bright, and we are excited to lead the club into this new era.

“For fans, the matchday experience will be our focus. A smaller, more intimate ground means the crowd is closer to the action, letting the atmosphere grow and support the team out on the pitch.

“The Flair Stadium offers everything that supporters need from parking and accessibility to corporate hospitality and function rooms.

“We can’t wait to welcome you for the 2027 season and beyond to be a part of the Giant future we have in store.”

Jackson: Dewsbury not yet Super Lsague ready

Huddersfield Giants non-executive director Rebecca Jackson:

“[Dewsbury flair stadium] is not quite Super League ready yet, so we definitely need to bring it up to standard.

“We’ll be spending around £10m – a huge investment – to ensure that it can actually be the place where the Huddersfield Giants can play, and really have the atmosphere for both the fans and our partners – and that means building a new stand too, which is very exciting.

“This is just a medium-term plan. We are still looking to build our own stadium within Huddersfield, which has been something that we’ve worked on for a really long time.

“We’ve just unfortunately not been able to secure a site quite yet with the local authorities, but a lot of discussion has been happening.

“We’re hoping that this is going to be able to be a bit of a stop gap for us – a medium-term solution – to then be able to get back into Huddersfield long term.”

Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.

Sports

St Mirren 1 – 0 St Johnstone

Published

14 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Killian Phillips was on target again to keep St Mirren on top of the Premiership for a second Saturday night.

Phillips followed up his opening-day double at Falkirk with the only goal from the spot as the Paisley side beat visitors St Johnstone.

Goalkeeper Jacob Chapman was the other Buddies hero, saving a spot-kick from Jamie Gullan in the 48th minute.

His opposite number, Toby Steward, had a far less positive influence on proceedings when he conceded the 73rd-minute penalty that settled matters.

The Perth side’s goalkeeper was unaware of the impending presence of Samuel Ramos as he prepared to pick up Declan John’s forward pass and brought down the midfielder when he ran into his path.

Phillips sent Steward the wrong way with the shortest of run-ups to make it two wins from two for Craig McLeish’s side.

Both sides had started their Premiership campaigns with victories and there was little to separate them in the first half.

The only real chance fell for Ramos, who headed Chris Mochrie’s cross straight at Steward. The goalkeeper pushed the ball up in the air and the visitors survived the resultant goalmouth scramble.

Simo Valakari’s side squandered their first serious opportunity, which came after a VAR intervention when referee Ross Hardie ruled Alex Gogic had handled while competing for a throw-in into the box. Chapman dived to his left to stop Gullan’s penalty.

The home side soon lost Marcus Fraser to injury with Liam Donnelly coming on at centre-back.

Gullan looked to make amends when he set up Matty Foulds but the left-back shot just wide on the run.

A double substitution almost paid instant dividends for McLeish as Luke Thomas set up Jake Young to bear down on goal from the left flank. The striker appeared to be held by Cheick Diabate as he shot wide of the far post.

St Mirren got their breakthrough after more attacking play down the left flank and they soon survived a scare when Diabate headed off the post following a corner.

The hosts had a series of shots blocked as they tried to put the game out of sight in the closing stages but they were soon caught on the break and Ruari Paton set up Gullan. The former Hibernian striker lacked conviction though and was foiled by a combination of Steward and Ryan Carr.

St Johnstone kept the pressure on during stoppage time but Young forced a save on the break at the other end and the home side saw out the remaining moments in the opposition half.