The 23XI racing team’s campaign has been a mixed one in NASCAR since its debut in 2021. Tyler Reddick, who joined the team for a full season this year, has been impressive. In his first season with the team, he managed to bag the regular season championship, entering the playoffs with two wins. The #45 has shown consistency throughout the season, with an average finish of 11.5.
However, on the other hand, Bubba Wallace, who’s been with the team since the beginning, has not delivered the expected performance. In the four seasons (including 2024 so far) that Bubba has been with the team, he has only managed two wins in 134 race starts. Despite this, the 23XI team backs Wallace every year! Recently, Denny Hamlin opened up about the reasons why they continue to believe in Bubba Wallace.
Recently, the team owned by Michael Jordan and Hamlin signed a multi-year contract with Bubba Wallace, further extending their partnership with the driver. The 23XI team in their statement said, “From day one Bubba has been an integral part of 23XI, We’re excited to announce that he has signed a multi-year renewal and will continue to play a key role in helping 23XI grow and succeed.”
Hamlin was recently asked at a press conference whether the contract extension for them was a no-brainer. To this Hamlin replied, “We know that given the stats he has had, the laps that he has led – everything has improved over what he had last year, just have to take the next step.” Despite missing out on the playoffs this year, Bubba is en route to his best season with the team so far. With still 8 races remaining, the #23 driver has already matched his last year’s performance, with five top-5s and ten top-10 finishes. However, his team expects more from him.
According to Denny Hamlin, Wallace needs to show consistency year on year. “The 23 team needs to make the Playoffs every year. I think that is our expectation, and then make a deep run and finish in the top-10 in points. That is kind of our expectation of kind of where we are at. Just getting in, it is hard for me to say that is the only expectation, but it is an expectation given the standards we are giving ourselves. He knows that he needs to get better.” Hamlin added.
Although the pace is slow, the stats are proof enough to see Bubba’s growth over the years. In 2021, he led a total of 62 laps in the season. This number doubled in the 2022, as he led 150 laps. Again, in 2023, it almost doubled, with the #23 driver leading 285 laps in the season. In the current one, he has already led 127 laps and counting. Hopefully, the doubling trend continues this year as well.
Since joining the 23XI racing team, Bubba has been shaped to become a more all-around driver. If we look at his top track-wise average finishes, it has a varied collection of speedways, super speedways, and also road courses. His career-best average finish is 5 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, followed by Daytona, where his average finish is 9.4 and then he has a 9.6 at Pocono. And if we speak of road courses, on the Indy Road course, his average finish is 12, followed by a 12.3 at Charlotte ROVAL. This must be a big reason for the team to stick with him.
Further in the conversation, Hamlin dwelled deeper on how Bubba Wallace has grown over the years.
The owner cum driver has been racing along the #23 for four years now. And there have been occasions where the two have battled on the track. The 2022 Kansas Speedway race comes to mind where Wallace held off the #11 driver to win the race. It was Bubba Wallace’s second career win, and it was made even special because it was against his team owner. Post the race, Wallace had said, “I knew Denny was going to be strong. It’s cool to beat the boss.”
Over the years, Hamlin has firsthand seen Wallace’s racecraft improve. “We’ve seen from my standpoint more pace on road course, more pace at tracks typically that he wasn’t as fast at, that he needed to be, so I think all of that is good. His feedback has gotten better. That is very, very important. As long as he continues on that trajectory, he will be fine,” Hamlin said.
Recently, it was brought to light how Michael Jordan is like a mentor to the #23 and so is Hamlin. Specifically, Hamlin admires Wallace’s willingness to learn and take feedback. This, according to him, has helped the Alabama native grow. “I think his willingness to continue to learn is something that I see that is very, very positive – not that he didn’t in the past, I think his willingness to put himself out there in vulnerable situations to ask for help when he needs it has been very encouraging,” Hamlin added.
Despite Bubba Wallace’s underwhelming Struggles, Denny Hamlin and Team Remain Optimistic About His Potential.
