NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace told Rolling Stone that everyone needs an escape for the “madness” of life on occasion, and he said he achieves that escape by listening to music, which especially helps him deal with the up-and-down life of being a race car driver.
“A lot of people ask, ‘How do you how do you deal with the ups and the downs of the sport?’ And I always tell them to find an escape, which for me, is my music,” Wallace said to the magazine in an interview. “When you’re frustrated after a race, when you’re at home and you’re frustrated and down and out… Whether it’s music or something else, find an escape to the madness of life.”
Rolling Stone had asked Wallace to list 10 songs of some significance to him, perhaps songs that he’d listen to before a race. He went pretty heavy metal with his list but included a few outliers, including one pure bluegrass anthem and a Lil Wayne song. Check out his favorite tunes right here:
Bubba Wallace’s ultimate playlist
“Unholy Confessions” — Avenged Sevenfold
“Hey Mister” — Miss May I
“Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?” — The Devil Wears Prada
“Back Burner” — August Burns Red
“No Place to Breathe” — Silent Planet
“Death’s Hand” — Amity Affliction
“A Milli” — Lil Wayne
“Crooked” — Dealer
“Long Violent History” — Tyler Childers
“Vice Grip” — Parkway Drive
Quite a mix of songs there for Bubba Watson, but still, a heavy metal theme. He says that type of music just pumps him up to hit the track.
“I always say the heavier the song, the louder the song, the better it makes me feel. Something about it elevates me to a better place mentally. It gets you pumped up. And when you’re pumped up, that helps everything, especially when you’re trying to get ready for a race.”
One metal song he pointed out in particular was “Death’s Hand,” which Wallace said helped him through some tough times personally in the past.
“I never had the suicidal thoughts or anything. And that song is kind of what it’s about. But it’s saying, ‘Hey, Death, get fucked.’ And it’s saying, ‘I can beat this and get through it. That’s the way I took it at least. And so it made you feel like, yeah, I could do this. And you just kind of play it on repeat every day.”
