“Man, what a night,” this is how Bubba Wallace summed up his first Duel win at Daytona. He showed enough speed and dodged a few iffy moments and is now one of the front runners to win the Daytona 500. Although Wallace had a good partner on the track in Tyler Reddick, the daddy-son bond between him and Becks also played a role in this victory. The driver’s Headgear designed with imprints of baby Beck’s feet has caused a sensation among the fans, hoping it would change his 40+ race winless streak. 

Wallace has talked openly about past battles with his mental health and the relationship he shares with his son Beck has helped fuel his vision back to life. Often, Beck has been referred to by Wallace as good luck. During the race with chaos unfolding behind him and pushing through the finish line marked a dominant performance by 23XI Racing. And what followed next was the wholesome moment for the entire Wallace family.

Bubba Wallace proves Beck is the good luck charm

Amanda Wallace often posts about what the baby is up to and how the Wallace couple is having the time of their life steering through the everyday complexities. However, during the celebration, Bubba Wallace raised Beck to the crowd creating a memorable moment. He later shared the video on his Instagram making a meme of the moment. The song “Circle of Life” from the movie Lion King’ plays in the background while he shows Beck to the crowd just as ‘Simba’. NASCAR and family legacy go hand in hand, and this was the first time that Wallace got to celebrate a special moment. 

The Duel 1 performer surely did express his feelings towards the changes his relationship with Beck has made in his life and the impact of it on track is undeniable. Bubba Wallace has had a tough time dealing with the pressure of racing at the top level, but last year he often spoke about being more responsible and being at peace, becoming a first-time father. Winless the entirety of the 2024 season and not being able to make the playoffs took a toll on him. But, with the arrival of Becks, he has found his purpose and good fortunes. Wallace acknowledges the blessing along with the good fortunes that have followed after Becks’ arrival. “Lucky Charm,” was the caption embedded in the video he shared on Instagram.

For years, Wallace has watched other drivers celebrate Duel wins while he came up short. But not this time. After leading the most laps (20) of the 60-lap showdown, Wallace’s No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry crossed the finish line just 0.082 seconds ahead of Byron, marking a major moment in his career. Wallace will now start third in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, and looking at his past performances, he’s a genuine contender to win the race on Sunday.

A couple of hours later NASCAR acknowledged the post and took it to ‘X’ with a caption that read “We think Becks is your good luck charm, @BubbaWallace.” Well, wins at Superspeedways aren’t a solo effort, and while Wallace the lucky charm, his teammate Tyler Reddick played a crucial in his win. It was a solid team effort, especially going up against the numerical disadvantage of the Chevy teams and drivers.

23XI Racing shows strength and dominance at the Duels

The first Duel was altered by caution flags, with the first one coming on Lap 3 and the second on Lap 14, completely changing the fuel strategy for the race. Ty Dillon was closing on the #23 Camry, but he fluffed his line and ended up brushing the wall. After pushing his teammate for the lead, Reddick resorted to blocking tactics on the final lap. He was successful in fending off any runs from the top and the middle lane, meanwhile, Wallace held his own on the bottom lane, crossing the start-finish line.

“Thanks to Tyler (Reddick). That was awesome to see two team cars work together that well and learn a lot for Sunday. Did a great job pushing me. Our McDonald’s Toyota Camry was really fast. Two different balances from being in the pack to being out front. Have some work to do there. I’ve wanted one of these Duel wins for so long. All my buddies got one. Tyler got one last year. I was pi—– off. I got one now. I’m good.” Bubba Wallace said in the post-race interview.

The Toyota cars seem to have made huge gains in their superspeedway program during the off-season. Chase Briscoe’s pole in the No. 19 car was the first by a Toyota team at the Daytona, so the onus will be on Wallace and Reddick to build on this momentum and contend for the win during the main event.