Bubba Wallace has not seen the results he hoped for entering the 2023 NASCAR season; however, there is still time to turn it around. The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Bristol Dirt and Wallace will look to rebound from another poor race from the No. 23 team overall.
Let’s take a deep dive into Wallace’s struggles to start the 2023 season while his teammate Tyler Reddick already has locked himself into the playoffs.
Bubba Wallace’s rough start to the 2023 NASCAR season has been concerning
Wallace had much to look forward to entering the 2023 Daytona 500 after having a solid showing in the NASCAR playoffs last year. Since the No. 45 car was in the owner’s championship, he moved over to the vehicle and got a taste of playoff racing.
There was much to love as Wallace held off a hard-charging Denny Hamlin for the victory at Kansas Speedway. It marked the second straight season that Wallace won a race in the Cup Series.
Fast forward to the beginning of April 2023 and it has been a struggle for the Alabama native. Through seven races, Wallace has only claimed one top-10 finish and that was an impressive fourth-place effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Outside of Las Vegas, it has been rough. Wallace only has three top-20 finishes and sits 22nd in the point standings. He is currently 46 points behind the playoff cut-line but there is plenty of time left in the regular season.
Wallace has only finished four of the seven races during the 2023 season. A crash during the Daytona 500 and a mistake at Circuit of the Americas highlight his misfortune while an engine issue knocked him out at Auto Club Speedway.
Atlanta was also disappointing as Wallace spun out on his own and hit the inside wall for a 27th-place finish. The 29-year-old driver has been hard on himself and said 23XI Racing should replace him; however, the organization is fully supporting him through everything.
Quite frankly, Wallace’s start to the 2023 season has been concerning because while there has been some bad luck, there have also been several mistakes. It is common for drivers to go through rough stretches but it is all about how they rebound.
As stated above, there is plenty of time left during the regular season. Continue reading to find out how the rest of the 2023 season lays out for Wallace!
Related: Bubba Wallace discusses the upcoming NASCAR season after a controversial end
Evaluating the remainder of the 2023 season for Bubba Wallace
There is certainly good news for Wallace as we look at the outlook for the rest of his 2023 season with 23XI Racing. The driver of the No. 23 car has some good races coming up that should represent a rebound for him.
Bristol Dirt is the next NASCAR Cup Series race but Wallace has not produced good finishes in his two starts. Instead, we should look at what is coming after Bristol Dirt as the lineup of races is looking pretty good.
Wallace will go to Martinsville, Talladega, Dover, and Kansas after Bristol Dirt and all of those races are good for him. Both of his Cup Series victories have come at Talladega and Kansas while Martinsville and Dover have treated him well since the start of the 2020 season.
The summer also represents a good stretch of races for Wallace as Atlanta, New Hampshire, Pocono, and Michigan are all included. He could win at any of those race tracks as he has shown speed in the past.
It has been a rough seven races to start the 2023 season and it could be eight soon; however, the four races after Bristol Dirt are really good tracks. Wallace might be in line to break through for a win and carry momentum into the summer stretch.
Sometimes, a driver needs to struggle a little bit for them to reach their full potential. Wallace has been experiencing this lately and it should represent a learning experience. The 29-year-old driver is fully capable of winning a race every single season.
Wallace will win a race eventually because he has too much talent to continue going through these struggles and based on the schedule, that could be coming sooner rather than later.