NASCAR Pundits Worried for Michael Jordan’s Protégé, Bubba Wallace, as He Is About to Face His Age Old Nemesis

Who would you pick from outside the playoff bubble to qualify for the playoffs? It is a difficult choice to make for anyone and why not, almost everyone in the bubble is giving their best for the 13th to 16th spots. However, only five races remain now for them to solidify their names in the playoffs.

One notable contender for a playoff spot is 23XI Racing‘s Bubba Wallace, who had an underwhelming first half of the season. The team encountered some challenges, and both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick faced performance struggles, and Wallace particularly struggled on road courses. Bubba finished 37th at COTA and 17th at Sonoma, which brings added pressure as two more road course races approach, where all eyes will be on him.

As the season progresses, the excitement and anticipation build, and it remains to be seen who will rise to the occasion and secure those crucial playoff berths outside the current bubble. The competition is fierce, and each race will undoubtedly be a thrilling battle for these drivers and teams aiming to make their mark in the playoffs.

Jeff Burton spills beans on the nightmare ahead for Wallace

The playoff standings are incredibly tight, with Bubba Wallace, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suarez, all vying for those crucial spots. Bubba Wallace managed to improve his position to 465 points after relatively successful outings at New Hampshire and Pocono.

However, Wallace has encountered challenges on road courses, and with two of the remaining five races scheduled for Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, there are concerns about his chances. Jeff Burton highlighted this matter during the NASCAR on NBC podcast, expressing his worries about Wallace’s road course struggles. He mentioned,

“What I find really interesting is the races that we have coming up and when I look at Bubba Wallace, I’m concerned about it because there’s two road course races in there then I look at everybody else that’s what I consider to be the guys that are that have a real shot to get in here probably stopping at Ty Gibbs and there are good road racers and that’s going to put ton of pressure on Bubba having to find a way to be better on road courses.”

Jeff noted that the other contenders, particularly AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez, have shown prowess in road course racing, which puts additional pressure on Bubba to step up his game in those specific events. The points gap between AJ and the other drivers, including Suarez, makes it a fierce competition, and it’s expected that the road course races will play a decisive role in determining who secures a playoff spot.

In the midst of it all, Wallace has come up with a strategy to get into the playoffs.

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Bubba Wallace reveals his strategy to get into the playoffs

With five races remaining, the upcoming Daytona race is one that brings both excitement and uncertainty to NASCAR fans. Anything can happen at Daytona – from unexpected victories to the “big ones.”. The memory of Austin Dillon’s thrilling triumph last year at Daytona, which drastically altered the qualifying standings, is still fresh in the minds of fans.

The four upcoming races, including two road courses, will be crucial for drivers as they aim to accumulate as many points as possible. This is primarily because they can’t fully rely on Daytona where, in the words of Kyle Busch, drivers get lucked into winning.

“We had that conversation going into last weekend. It’s like, I hate points racing, it’s always bit us in the b*tt, but we gotta start doing that,” Bubba Wallace told Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass ahead of the race at the Pocono Raceway.

He continued, “Just haven’t executed to do that. Gotta put it all together, get points and get us a win and we’ll be gone. “We’ve been fast enough. Think it takes everything to win one of these things. We gotta keep doing our part, keep putting our name in the hat and it’ll turn around for us to get our win. But we’re in a spot, I can’t say a good spot because we’re in by what, two points? But we just gotta continue to work hard and we’ll be fine.”

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As the season reaches its climax, the battle for the playoffs intensifies, and each driver’s performance in the upcoming races at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis will be a critical factor in shaping the final standings and determining who gets the opportunity to compete in the postseason. What is your pick from that playoff bubble driver?