“23 Team Is Killing It” – Denny Hamlin Reveals What Makes Bubba Wallace a Genius as He Guarantees a Playoff Spot

Drop by drop, the ocean fills. Now that’s one line that goes very well with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin‘s NASCAR team, 23XI Racing. Ever since its inception in 2020, the proud Toyota camp has captured fans’ attention with its consistency, idealizing MJ’s obsession with success.

While its drivers have sort of fallen behind in the later stages of the races, both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick have made the playoff cutline, and that too without breaking a sweat. Or at least that’s what their boss and Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, Denny Hamlin, is pointing at.

Speaking on his popular Action Detrimental podcast, the veteran revealed the smart tactic both his drivers, especially Bubba Wallace, adopted to comfortably cruise their way into the playoffs while seasoned drivers like Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell are still searching in the dark.

Denny Hamlin spills the beans, revealing his driver’s smart game plan that got them into the playoffs

The 2023 season has been a smooth ride for 23XI Racing and Denny Hamlin. Both the veteran driver and his drivers are in the playoff bubble. While both #45 drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace have made it into the playoffs at the 13th and 14th positions in the rankings, they too have seen their ups and downs.

Especially when you look at their recent outings at Michigan and Richmond. Despite leading the race for a brief period, the team’s inefficient pit crew has had its effect on Wallace and Reddick, dragging them to the bottom. While it was Wallace who suffered a lousy pit stop at the short track adventure at Richmond, his teammate Reddick paid the price for his crew’s inadequacy at Michigan, finishing 30th despite leading the 7 laps.

With that being said, both drivers are in the playoff conversation, and they do have an ingenious strategy that got them there in the first place. Speaking on his podcast, the JGR veteran cited Wallace’s #23 team’s brilliant strategy to sneak into the playoffs in the absence of a win, saying, “It’s whoever gets the most stage points is going to get in. That’s the person that’s going to get in, it’s not going to be the finishing person, it’s the stage person that’s going to get in and right now, that’s where the #23 is killing it over everyone else. They’re driving to the front at the beginning of the race getting stage points.” 

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Though only the road racing specialist, Tyler Reddick, has racked up a win this season at COTA earlier this year, both Wallace and his teammate have been dominant in the early stages of the race, like we saw in Richmond, with Reddick acing Stage 1, giving him invaluable playoff points.

Hamlin approves his driver’s outburst against his crew, deeming it “frustrating”

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NASCAR Nation has seen drivers’ frustration spill onto the track plenty of times. Last week at the Irish Hills, the scene was just about the same when Tyler Reddick lost significant track position in the final laps owing to his pit crew’s negligence. The calm and reserved driver lashed out at his crew members, who pulled him back, essentially ruining his top-10 finish.

The #45 driver, who had a fighting chance to score a respectable finish, pitted with 43 laps to go, eyeing a decisive result. But instead of getting him up the ladder, his crew dragged him down after the car’s rear tire came loose, prompting the driver to make another pit stop to make the wrong turn right again.

This, however, cost him a significant track position as he finished the race 30th. The 27-year-old, upon his return to the pits the second time, did not sit by as he called out the crew’s inefficiency, harshly doubling down on them. While the news of the reserved driver lashing out at his crew made the headlines, his boss and fellow driver, Denny Hamlin, sided with Reddick.

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin obstinately admits his driver’s rant 

He said, “Tyler Reddick has absolutely 100% right to be as angry and frustrated as he is. We have let him down more times than we have brought him up. And we’ve got to do a better job of that. It’s frustrating, trust me.” The veteran came up, consoling the driver for his team’s negligence.

As we near the Indianapolis road race this week, will the road racing expert get a breakthrough or will his team repeat their mistake just like they’ve been doing? Tell us your thoughts.