23XI Racing continues to show promise this season, much like last year, yet Bubba Wallace admits the team hasn’t quite hit its stride. For example, Tyler Reddick, who had already scored a victory at Talladega and logged three top-five and three top-10 finishes by this point last season, now sits at sixth in the standings with no wins from 12 starts, three top-fives, and one top-10.
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Wallace, meanwhile, posted three top-five finishes and one top-10 finish by this time last season. This year, he has secured two top-fives and two top-10s, holding tenth place in the standings. The newest addition to the team, Riley Herbst, currently sits at P32 in the standings table.
Wallace acknowledged flashes of speed from the team’s cars but sees room for growth. Speaking on the Chasing Checkers podcast, he said, “I don’t think we’re where we want to be as a company. We’ve had speed. We’ve shown glimpses of that with the 45 and myself and getting Riley up to speed.”
He continued, “But yeah, I think you know over my last couple of years in the Cup series at this point, I’ve never been tenth in the points, right? And so I think it’s leaps and bounds from where we’ve been, but there’s still a lot of work left to do.”
“So, I’m looking forward to that. It’s going to be it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a challenge as we progress through the season, but we just got to lock in and stay focused.”
Wallace ended last season outside the playoffs in the P18, a contrast to his 2023 campaign when he reached the Round of 12 and finished tenth after qualifying on points.
However, he hasn’t seen victory lane since 2022 at Kansas. His hopes of a strong showing this time at Kansas were dashed again when he started fifteenth, but a mishap dropped him to a P33-place finish.
Wallace is ready to break his winless streak soon
Wallace’s last win dates back 91 races, with several near-misses along the way. Yet with the upcoming stretch on intermediate tracks — Charlotte, Nashville, and Michigan — he believes the time is ripe to turn the tide and make a decisive leap in the standings. Cracking into victory lane tops his priorities, given the drought since 2022.
Speaking to Racer.com, Wallace observed that his mile-and-a-halfs were strong. Reflecting on Kansas, he recalled feeling upbeat about the car’s performance during the initial 30 laps, but after incurring a penalty, the team became stuck in traffic and never regained their rhythm. Still, he expressed satisfaction with the weekend’s showing.
“We’re getting stage points now, we’re competitive, our name is in the hat. We just now have to close out the deal. I think through the summer stretch, yes, I’m excited for what’s next,” Wallace added, signaling confidence for the road ahead.
Heading into Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wallace brings an average finish of 21.6 across eight starts, with just one top-five and one top-10 finish. His run to P11 last year will fuel expectations for a stronger showing as he tackles the iconic oval once again.
