Bubba Wallace could not have asked for a better start to the Southern 500 weekend as he claimed pole position for Sunday’s race. The 23XI Racing star is 21 points behind the cutline and will have victory on his mind going into the event. Ahead of the regular season finale, Wallace sent out a public warning implying that he would not take it easy if someone wrecked him during the race.
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This is Wallace’s last chance of making it into the playoffs. His team has come up with a fantastic car and the 30-year-old will look to do justice with an impeccable victory on Sunday. He will no doubt be helped by his teammate Tyler Reddick and boss Denny Hamlin on track if a situation arises. Compared to last season’s finale the 23XI star has been quite calm and collected and it could help him take the checkered flag.
Job’s not finished… but damn this one feels good. Pole sitters at the Southern 500 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/MTCjgMaYpp
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) August 31, 2024
“Yeah, you look at us coming in and being on the bubble – 21 points out with a ton of pressure and I think the pressure just switched. We’re not here to mess around. I showed up with a more open and calmer demeanor – more free and relaxing demeanor, but at the same time I don’t want to be messed with. So, it’s a fine balance you’re got to walk,” he said in a pre-race media interaction.
23XI Racing looking forward to a good day
His teammate Reddick, who will be fighting for the regular season championship, also had a good run in qualifying. The #45 car will start the race from P6 and hopes to finish ahead of all his regular-season title rivals. Wallace was quite proud of his teammate and the whole effort by 23XI Racing coming into the final regular-season race weekend of the season.
“Both cars just showing up with speed at Darlington for the Southern 500 is super cool. I’ve been close here I think once or twice in qualifying, so to finally pull it out, it’s like ‘Wow! We’ve got it!’ With all that being said, the elephant in the room — tomorrow is a whole different day and I’m excited to see what tomorrow offers,” he added.
Wallace has never won a race at the Darlington Raceway but there is reason to be positive. He has finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races held at the venue with one top five. The 30-year-old’s latest result at the track was a P7 finish in the Goodyear 400 earlier this season. He will have to improve on that result by a lot to have a shot of getting in the playoffs.
