It has been a long time coming, but Bubba Wallace has finally made it to the playoffs. But only just. Like the seasons before, Wallace has yet again gone winless through the regular season. However, his consistency in race finishes has significantly helped him out this year, making it into the top 16 in the last slot, solely on points.
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Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, the owner of Wallace’s racing team, recently discussed Wallace’s performance on his podcast. The 23XI Racing co-owner praised Wallace’s ability to perform under pressure, stating that he has become “battle-tested” and may be prepared for his first-ever playoff run.
Denny Hamlin talks about Wallace’s performance spectrum in the playoffs
While speaking on his podcast, Hamlin mentioned, “Really happy for him. I know that he’s been super stressed over the last few weeks. And you know, I think this was a test. He’s battled tested now. I think Bubba’s, he earned his spot in the playoffs.”
“He did it through performing better than he ever has, is he’s getting stage points, and contending more top 10s more top fives. So he certainly has deserved his place in the playoffs and I’m excited to see where that 23 team goes in the playoffs..”
Hamlin further mentioned that the upcoming tracks in the playoff races are going to be well-suited for him, raising hopes for the driver.
Can Bubba Wallace make it to the round of 12?
Heading into this weekend’s first playoff race at Darlington, Wallace would be starting absolutely last on points. If he has any hopes of making it through to the round of 12 after the third race at Bristol Motor Speedway, he needs to maintain his consistency or manage to win in the next three races.
Last year while racing at Kansas, he managed to secure the second win of his Cup career. Considering that effort, it may seem that it is toward the end of the season that he starts to peak. If his Kansas win is to be taken into account, the #23 team might even hope for another win coming in during this year’s postseason.
Meanwhile, the rest of the picture is pretty clear. He will have his teammate Tyler Reddick alongside him in the playoff rat race, to help him out. But that is about it, it is either to be consistent and collect points, get out of the bottom four, or win a race.
