Bubba Wallace entered the 2023 NASCAR season with high expectations after carrying the No. 45 car to the Round of 12 in the owner’s championship and winning a playoff race at Kansas Speedway over the likes of Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
It was proof that Wallace’s hard work was paying off as his success continued to grow. Now, NASCAR has completed nine points-paying races but the driver of the No. 23 car has seen significant struggles to this point.
Wallace has one top-5 finish, two top-10 finishes, and a 19.4 average finishing position to start the year. With his popularity already rising, one NASCAR insider talked about Wallace’s future and what he could become in the sport.
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NASCAR insider talks highly about Bubba Wallace’s future in the sport
Wallace has not been at the top of his game during the 2023 season but there is still plenty of time to turn it around. In fact, the driver of the No. 23 car for 23XI Racing only sits 31 points behind the playoff cut-line despite his struggles.
It was not easy but Wallace secured his first top-10 finish since the third race of the season at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. Between his two top-10 finishes, there were many instances of his struggles being shown.
Wallace said 23XI Racing should replace him after the race at Circuit of the Americas; however, the organization publicly supported him through his down moments. Now, Martinsville could represent the start of a good run.
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi hopped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss Wallace’s future in NASCAR and it brought high praise as a person with more work to do as a driver.
“I think (Bubba Wallace) has the potential to be one of those guys that you’re gonna see on all of the late night talk shows and all of the cross-promotional stuff that you saw (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) and (Jeff Gordon) do back in the day. He’s got that personality, he’s engaging, he’s captivating, he’s funny. All of that stuff you want. He just has to have the success on the race track to kinda back it up. He’s starting to get there but there’s still a little bit ways to go.”
Jordan Bianchi on Bubba Wallace’s future in NASCAR
Earnhardt and Gordon helped bring NASCAR to its peak when their rivalry was at its highest point. Both drivers helped make NASCAR the sport it is today and Bianchi believes that Wallace can be the next driver to make it happen.
NASCAR needs its star driver that people know even if they are not a fan of the sport. The NFL has Patrick Mahomes, the NBA has LeBron James, and MLB has Shohei Ohtani. NASCAR doesn’t have a driver who is well-known and a superstar.
Wallace can become that type of personality. The only issue is that he needs to have success on the track. That doesn’t mean one win per season. It means multiple wins every year and the 29-year-old driver is capable of doing just that if things start to click on the No. 23 team.
There is a bright future ahead for Wallace and the expectations are undeniably high for him. The 23XI Racing driver might not become one of the greats but he has the ability to make a massive impact in different areas of the sport.