“They’re Running Like the 45”: Denny Hamlin Wholeheartedly Backs Bubba Wallace’s Early Season Promise

Denny Hamlin wasn’t very pleased with Bubba Wallace at the end of the 2024 Cup Series season. He failed to make it to the playoffs and had a disappointing year. But just seven races into 2025, he has bounced back high and completely turned around Hamlin’s mood about him. The 23XI Racing co-owner was all praises for him after winning at Martinsville on Sunday.

Wallace finished the race in third place and secured consecutive top-3 finishes. It was also his third top-10 of the season.

Hamlin said, “They’re running like the No. 45 [Tyler Reddick] during the summer! I told you guys that new crew chief was going to be a game-changer over there. He’s getting the most out of Bubba.” Charles Denike is the new crew chief that Hamlin lauded. Denike is in the Cup Series after spending the last five seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Wallace, too, isn’t exactly in his comfort zone after getting his crew chief changed. But both of them are taking advantage of the newness and growing fast together. Wallace mentioned to the press last week that neither of them is happy with the performances so far, despite the impressiveness of the start.

This reflects the strong mindset that they’re inculcating in the No. 23 garage. Hamlin continued, “I want to give Bubba his due, too. It’s not all the crew chief. Bubba has really stepped up and been a leader with the team. He’s got a lot of confidence right now, which goes a long, long way. So, I think he doesn’t need to change anything. Just keep doing what he’s doing.”

The result of Wallace’s trust in 23XI Racing

Denike is Wallace’s third crew chief with 23XI Racing. Mike Wheeler set the ball rolling in 2021. He was replaced by Bootie Barker in that same season. Barker was at the helm till the end of 2024.

With Denike, Wallace has started a season like he never has. He sits eighth on the points table with a stage win in the bag. He has led 98 laps in the first seven races.

To think this superiority almost didn’t come. Wallace acknowledged, “The people I’ve been comfortable with, we’ve just been OK. Bootie [Barker] brought me to the next level, and I felt like I took a step, and we plateaued.” So, he’d just let his team do the job without being a hurdle, and Denike was the one who landed on his front door.