Matt Johnson
As most of the spotlight centers on 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three Cup Series races of the season, teammate Bubba Wallace is off to a career-best start. That is, in part, thanks to his improvement on road courses.
Coming out of Circuit of the Americas, where Wallace finished 11th and in the top 10 for points accrued, driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin offered praise for Wallace’s road-course improvement recently in the latest episode of Actions Detrimental.
Related: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, See Where Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin Land
“He should be just so proud of his evolution on road courses. He downplays it quite a bit, you know ‘I struggle’. Yeah maybe compared to your teammate in Tyler Reddick. But versus the field, Bubba was a mid-20s, I would say, when he first came to 23XI, where he was on road courses was mid-20s. That might be a little optimistic. I think he is a solid, back half of the top 10 as far as able to get speed and his craft on road courses now. “
Denny Hamlin on Bubba Wallace’s improvement on road courses
This is coming off the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix, where Wallace logged a career-best finish at COTA with an 11th-place result after starting the day in 24th. Most impressively, that came after the No. 23 team played for points in Stage 2 (5 points) and then had to start the final stage near the back of the field after pitting.
Wallace was at one point 24th in the final stage, with 17 laps to go on a restart coming out of the caution. He reached 16th place with 15 laps to go, 12th with 11 to go, and he got past William Byron in the final laps to place 11th right behind Hamlin.
Related: Denny Hamlin Predicts How Tyler Reddick Finishes in the Regular Season
He’s now finished top 15 or better in his last three races on road courses, including an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen last August. Over the last two years, a stretch spanning from COTA races on March 24, 2024, to March 1, 2026, Wallace has an average finishing position of 16.16.
Keep in mind that includes the Chicago Street Race last summer where he was in sixth with 6 laps to go before getting into it with Alex Bowman and eventually getting spun around. He ultimately finished 28th.
Wallace has become the caliber of driver that Hamlin envisioned when he brought him onto 23XI Racing. It shows this season, both with Wallace’s improvement on road courses and the fact that he’s second in points right now with the third-highest average finishing position (9.7) and the second-most laps led (86) in the Cup Series. Reddick and Wallace have become top drivers for 23XI, and the team’s future could be even brighter next season with top prospect Corey Heim expected to join the team full-time as Riley Herbst’s replacement.
Read More: 23XI Racing Driver Riley Herbst an Option for Another Cup Team in 2027
