Bubba Wallace Says 'Every Day' Brings 'Something New' as a First-Time Father to Son Becks (Exclusive)

Bubba Wallace is embracing his new role as a dad!

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the NASCAR star, 31, opens up about being a first-time father after he and wife Amanda Wallace welcomed their first baby, son Becks Hayden, last month.

"It's been fun. He's now a few weeks old, and he's been a blessing," Bubba — who has teamed up with McDonald's and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) to celebrate their 50^th anniversary with the Gift to RMHC program — says of his infant son.

"People always ask, 'Are you ready?' before your kid gets here, and you're like, 'I don't know.' And I can in fact say no, we were not ready. But it's been fun figuring it out every day, because every day is something new," adds the athlete.

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Bubba and Amanda announced their son's birth through a joint Instagram post on Oct. 1. They shared images of their newborn's face, alongside photos of themselves cuddling their baby boy in the hospital.

"Amanda and I would like to introduce you to Becks Hayden!" wrote the couple, who wed in 2022. "We were blessed with his presence Sunday 9/29 ☺️ 9 months of waiting on this little guy, he’s made it all worth it! So excited for this journey!"

Bubba and Amanda initially announced they were expecting in April. At the time, they posted a series of ultrasound photos on Instagram.

"Spring has sprung," the couple captioned their post. "Summer will be rad. Fall is the first time, We’ll be mom and dad!"

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According to Bubba, his son's name came to him and his wife before Becks was born.

"We were just going through baby names. 'What about this name? What about that name?' And then Becks rolled around, and I'm like, 'Becks, Becks, Becks.' That sounds good. It's awesome. It's not short for Beckham or anything, it's just kind of a unique name."

Becks' middle name, however, was a different story. Bubba says he and Amanda "really took the longest time" to come up with it.

"We were trying to leave the hospital, and they were like, 'Hey, we need a name.' We're like, 'Oh, yeah, we've got to fill that part out.' So we went with Becks Hayden," he explains. "There's no family ties to any of those names. They just sounded good, rolled off the tongue really well, and we enjoyed it."

As Becks grows older, Bubba hopes his son takes part in charitable initiatives similar to how his parents taught him to do.

"My mom was always big on making sure always to stay humble," the racecar driver tells PEOPLE. "Looking at all the things that we've done on the track is obviously cool — we got the trophies to talk about one day when Becks starts to understand what's going on — but it's also nice to say, 'Hey, it's not all about the on-track stuff. It's about making a difference and making an impact.' "

Through his latest partnership, Bubba is encouraging others across the nation to donate to RMHC the next time they visit McDonald’s. He will also be representing the 50th anniversary of RMHC by unveiling a new car paint scheme and firesuit design that celebrates this moment.

"I think the easiest thing for people to do is, for every meal, round up to a dollar. 100% of the proceeds go to RMHC, and it doesn't matter if it's a penny or 99 cents. Whatever it is, it's helping out families. There's no greater feeling than helping out others," Bubba says.