Bubba Wallace made an impressive return to the racetrack with the season-opening Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, grabbing a top-5 finish. This marked his first race without his long-time crew chief Bootie Barker, who had been with him since the late 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Now teamed up with Charles Denike, Wallace shared insights into his budding partnership with his new crew chief following the race.
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Reflecting on their collaboration, Wallace commented, “It’s a great way to start off the year and our relationship. Since the first day I met Charles, he’s been super just on it and willing to just bust his ass to figure out where we need to be better. He’s not afraid of telling you like, I need to do this. I’m not afraid to tell him the same thing…”
Yet, despite the race’s positive outcome, a post-race conversation in the wee hours revealed a mutual acknowledgment of areas needing improvement. Denike described the day as running on an even keel, a sentiment Wallace concurred with, noting, “There’s some things that could be better as always, but I think the first start to our race is really good.”
Furthermore, Wallace shared a revealing anecdote about his new crew chief’s composure, noting, “I asked him before the race sitting over here in the pits, Are you nervous? He’s like, No, not yet. Ask me when we go to Daytona. He probably will be.”
While Wallace has shown his confidence in Denike, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, too, expressed high expectations. Hamlin describes Denike as potentially transformative for the 23XI Racing team and is enthusiastic about Denike’s ability to elevate the team to unprecedented heights.
Before he engaged with the #23 team, Denike was busy sharpening his skills as the crew chief for the #19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet, steered by Christian Eckes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Over two years, Denike’s acumen yielded seven victories, 23 top-five finishes, and 33 top-tens in 44 starts. His resume also includes Truck Series victories with Chase Elliott and Sam Mayer at GMS Racing in 2020.
Did Wallace wreck Keselowski at Bowman Gray Stadium?
Wallace’s aggressive drive to a fifth-place finish at the Madhouse was not devoid of controversy, as is often the case with the tight, competitive racing that defines the venue. Mid-race, Wallace was vying for position when he inadvertently caused Brad Keselowski, the owner-driver of RFK Racing, to spin.
The incident occurred as Wallace was closely following the #6 driver, who was attempting to stay in front of Wallace and secure a better line on the inside of the track.
Reflecting on the incident afterward, Wallace expressed regret, stating he hated that he got into the #6 and certainly didn’t want to secure a top-five finish in that manner. He acknowledged that while Keselowski was trying to find a way down, it was Wallace’s eagerness to seize an opening that led to the mishap. Although Wallace felt the contact wasn’t severe, he apologized for the encounter.
With Wallace’s good track record at Daytona, where he secured three top-five finishes in seven appearances, including a fifth place last year, the anticipation is building to see if he can win the race at the Superspeedway, especially following his strong performance at the Clash.
