Ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, 23XI Racing opted for a major shake-up on the No. 23 team, appointing Charles Denike as Bubba Wallace’s new crew chief in place of Bootie Barker. The move came after Wallace’s failure to reach the 2024 playoffs.
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Barker, who had been atop the pit box since 2021, guided Wallace to his first Cup Series win and lone playoff berth in 2023. The change signaled a fresh chapter for the 31-year-old Wallace, who admitted the decision initially caught him off guard.
The gamble has already started to bear fruit. On Sunday, Wallace and Denike captured the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Wallace at one point leading Kyle Larson by more than five seconds. This time, neither the driver nor his new crew chief let the opportunity slip, as Wallace celebrated his first win since 2022.
Denny Hamlin’s faith in Denike comes from the latter’s deep-rooted experience in the sport. The 23XI Racing owner said the same thing in his post-race press conference as well, stating, “I just can’t sing his praises enough. I mean, he is no rookie. By the letter of the law, he’s a rookie crew chief, but he is buttoned up.
“He reminds me a lot of the great crew chiefs that I’ve worked with, and his work ethic, and how prepared he is. I think a lot of that comes from his military background. I just feel like he’s adapted really, really well, and he’s such a great team player in his role at 23XI. He kind of heads up our strategy for all the cars.”
Hamlin explained how 23XI is unique in its operations, with an open chain of command allowing team members to work across all cars. As a team owner, he can only thank Denike for fostering such an environment, adding, “He’s been a tremendous asset for us. I think he’s maintained a level head.
“Even when Bubba gets off the rail sometimes, it seems like he does a great job of pulling that back in. So he’s going to be one of the big stars on the pit box in this series in the years to come.”
Commanding the crew: How Denike rose through the racing ranks
Having worked as a team manager, race engineer, and crew chief, Denike built a résumé marked by consistency and results. He launched his career in 2012 as a team manager for Precision Performance Motorsports in the ARCA East and Xfinity Series, where he sharpened his expertise in car setups and race strategy.
In 2016, he moved to GMS Racing, serving as a race engineer for their Truck and Xfinity Series teams. By 2020, he had transitioned to a full-time crew chief. In 2022, Denike took the reins of the No. 19 truck at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, where he helped secure the team’s first win and a playoff berth. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he guided Christian Eckes to eight wins and consecutive top-five finishes in the Truck Series standings.
Known for his no-nonsense approach, Denike avoids sugarcoating his opinions. For instance, at Darlington, during Stage 2, Wallace dropped from inside the top five to eighth. When Wallace radioed that everything was fine, Denike, speaking over the channel to the spotter, countered, “We’re not fine if we’re bleeding five spots. So, we’re going to keep pushing.”
His directness likely stems from his disciplined background. Twenty-one years ago, Denike was a young Army Engineer lieutenant enrolled in the U.S. Army’s Combat Diver Qualification Course at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla., a program often regarded as one of the Army’s most grueling.
But racing has always been in Denike’s blood. Growing up next to a neighbor who owned race cars and a team, he became fascinated by the sport’s engineering side. His passion, however, was put on hold while attending the University of Virginia, where he joined the Army ROTC program.
Upon completing his military service, Denike quickly returned to racing, landing his first crew chief job with Rick Gdovic in the Pro Series at Langley Speedway in 2012.
In the 13 years since, Denike has called races for the likes of Greg Biffle, Tyler Ankrum, and Justin Haley, while also celebrating victories with Chase Elliott and Christian Eckes.
