Bubba Wallace's Emotional Brickyard 400 Victory Stuns 23XI Racing President

Coming into the Brickyard 400 Bubba Wallace found himself in a well-known spot near the edge of the playoff qualification.

His previous two Cup Series victories, including a shortened playoff event at Talladega due to rain in 2021 and the 2022 playoff race at Kansas, occurred when he wasn’t competing for the title.

After winning in Kansas, Wallace struggled for two seasons, often hovering around or just below the cutoff to qualify for the playoffs. Heading into Indianapolis, he ranked 16th and was once more fighting to secure a spot in the playoff lineup.

On Wednesday, Steve Lauletta, president of 23XI Racing, spoke on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and emphasized that support for Wallace remains strong even after a challenging season marked by six non-finishes.

I believe they have performed exceptionally throughout the season, so no one ever lost confidence that this would be the final outcome—them making it to Victory Lane," Lauletta stated. "I think Dave Rogers, our competition director, put in tremendous effort during the shift from (Wallace's previous crew chief) Bootie (Barker), identifying (current crew chief) Charles Denike within the Truck Series and bringing him together with Bubba.

In recent weeks, particularly, the choice to put Wallace and Denike together appears to be paying off. A seventh-place result at Dover was a positive move forward prior to the ... long overdue win at the "Brickyard" where Wallace ended his 100-race losing skid.

"It indicates that was the correct decision, so I believe there was some pressure, you understand, someone who had never served as a crew chief in the Cup Series before and just how we have been handling things," Lauletta stated.

Before Wallace secured victory on Sunday, the 23XI Racing squad, which is jointly owned by Denny Hamlin and former NBA star Michael Jordan, hadn't claimed a win during the current season. This marks their fifth year in racing since the team was established for the 2021 campaign.

Everything traces back to the five-year strategy introduced by Hamlin, marking a significant advancement for Wallace securing his spot in the playoffs.

we discuss the five-year strategy that denny outlined, and we're now in year 5 with 23xi," lauletta stated. "it feels amazing to finally secure bubba's spot on the edge of qualifying after spending the past few years in this situation, knowing we've made the playoffs and can look ahead.

You might feel the release and feel the emotion As Wallace emerged from his vehicle, he joined his team, his wife Amanda, and their son Becks in celebrating the victory. Securing a win at this stage of the season was an entirely new experience for him, and even more impressive, he managed to overcome 2021 champion Kyle Larson during several overtime restarts to claim the prestigious race title.

Having secured the victory, Tyler Reddick now holds a 138-point advantage as he heads into the final four races, ensuring his place in the playoff lineup. 23XI Racing will have both of its vehicles competing for the championship.

The 2025 campaign hasn't gone perfectly for the team, yet Hamlin's five-year plan appears to be taking shape as two of his drivers are now positioned to vie for the title.

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