Bubba Wallace has expressed, “we just need everything to fall in place.” The 2024 season has seen the No. 45 driver achieving his best career finishes, with an impressive tally of 5 top-five and 10 top-ten results, showcasing his growth within the 23XI Racing team. Yet, he finds himself grappling with the same challenge as last year—struggling to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Adding to his troubles, Harrison Burton, the latest regular season victor at Daytona, has further diminished Wallace’s playoff aspirations. The upcoming race at Darlington is set to be a significant test for Wallace and his competitors, leaving his crew chief feeling despondent.
Bubba Wallace’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread now.
On Saturday, Wood Brothers Racing ended a seven-year winless drought, celebrating its remarkable 100th victory, thanks to Harrison Burton. As Kyle Busch seemed poised for the win, Burton received a crucial push from a competitor and surged ahead to claim victory. While Bubba Wallace and others congratulated Burton on this milestone for the esteemed racing team, the No. 45 driver felt the weight of disappointment as Burton narrowed the playoff window for hopefuls.
Freddie Kraft, Wallace’s crew chief, also expressed his frustration over this missed opportunity. He recounted the rollercoaster experience at Daytona, saying, “In the first stage, everyone was able to run the entire stage, and the third lane was working better than ever. I thought we might actually have a chance to race… We were planning to save our resources for the second and third stages. We restarted from the bottom and quickly took the lead. Bubba was in front, and I was thinking, ‘I don’t know what he’s doing… I was just trying to keep him in the lead while running at 40-50% throttle. But he felt safer there… Then, of course, the big wreck with Corey happened.”
Despite Bubba Wallace finishing in 6th place, Harrison Burton’s victory left him 21 points shy of the playoff cutline. Kraft expressed his frustration, stating, “Clearly, the new winner didn’t do us any favors. We’re having a much better season compared to last year, yet here we are, on the outside looking in.” He then humorously suggested that Tyler Reddick should sabotage Chris Buescher’s chances at Darlington. “Unfortunately for us, Buescher seems to have a solid grip on Darlington. I might need to reach out to Tyler and see if he can take him out again… we could use those points.”
Buescher, currently 21 points above the cutline, is the competitor Bubba Wallace needs to surpass for the final playoff position. Last year at Darlington, he led the Ford team to a commendable 3rd place finish. However, Tyler Reddick could pose a challenge, especially considering the impressive momentum Wallace has built.
Just like Bubba Wallace’s remarkable performance this season, his teammate is also enjoying a successful run. With two wins, 11 top-five finishes, and 17 top-ten results, Tyler Reddick is certainly making waves. To top it off, he’s leading the points standings with a 15-point advantage. Reddick is on track to potentially secure the Cup Series championship this year, unless his rivals at Hendrick Motorsports disrupt his plans. In the meantime, he might just interfere with Chris Buescher’s strategy at Darlington, as he did back in May, to help his teammate out.
While Bubba Wallace may not be overly optimistic about the future, he has nothing but admiration for his teammate Reddick. “If I had to sum up Tyler in three words, I’d say attentive, competitive, and nerdy,” Wallace shared. “He’s an amazing teammate, and we really complement each other well. I’ve gained valuable insights from his experience on road courses.” Wallace also took a moment to highlight his own achievements, particularly their shared victories at Talladega. “I believe I’ve been able to share some of my strengths in superspeedway racing with him.”
This kind of collaboration is exactly what 23XI Racing needs right now. As Reddick continues to make strides, Wallace is still in the hunt for a playoff spot, with everything coming to a head this weekend.
