The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series had an interesting set of racers who qualified for the playoffs. Martin Truex Jr and Ty Gibbs soared into the playoffs solely based on points. On the other hand, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace—despite countless tries to break into the scene—was left severely defeated after failing to maintain his two-year playoff streak.

With MTJ in a relatively easier spot 58 points above the playoff line, ahead of the Southern 500, Bubba Wallace was in a do-or-die situation. The 30-year-old was 21 points below the cutoff line and had to win to secure a place in the Round of 16. However, as his performances failed to replicate his undying passion, team owner Denny Hamlin drew a painful picture of what went wrong.

Talking about the #23 driver’s prospects ahead of the Darlington race, the 23XI co-owner said, “It’s tough because, I think if you got pressure in race 26, then…I think that we’ve had 25 other opportunities where the pressure should’ve been the same…What I’ve been preaching is that every race counts. You have to bring it every single week. You cannot take one week off in this thing. Especially if you’re not winning, you have to be a top 10 guy every single week and so that’s really really hard to sustain. I still think Bubba is still on the rise, still getting better and he’s taken strides over where he was just two years ago.”

However, he also lamented at the difficult situation that lies ahead for Wallace’s team. Comparing Wallace’s run to his teammate Truex’s, Hamlin said, “I feel like if he’s had the performance that he has over the last 10 weeks you know he would have been in Martin Truex’s spot or better but it just took a little while for that 23 team to get going this year and now they’re under the gun in the last hour,” the team owner further added.

Denny Hamlin did have a point here. Bubba Wallace has significantly improved his finishes after securing a disappointing 20th place at the Sonoma Raceway. Even today at the Cook Out Southern 500, Wallace looked competitive and had almost secured his spot until the last caution on the track with less than 40 laps to go.

Late in the race, the driver found himself caught up in a wreck triggered by Josh Berry. As Berry attempted to split between Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, he made contact with Gibbs, setting off a chain reaction that led to the wreck. Although Wallace managed to finish the race, his car sustained significant damage, hampering his performance. The incident was a crucial moment, affecting not just Wallace’s race but also his overall playoff chances. He missed the playoff by 27 points.

A sad Wallace, post-race said, “Tomorrow is Labor Day, right? I got to sit and dwell on it. Hopefully no meetings. You’ve got four or five days to reset and go on to…where do we go next? I don’t even know. That shows how mental this race was.” 

Well, Bubba is right with that last part. The wild race last weekend was a fan’s dream and driver’s nightmare. While Kyle Busch missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012, Chase Briscoe turned heads making a name for the soon-to-be defunct Stewart-Haas Racing.

Briscoe-Busch gave it all; what next for Bubba Wallace?

The most prominent name desperate for the win was Kyle Busch. The 39-year-old did show the fans a glimpse of a coming victory at the Daytona International Speedway, but the Richard Childress Racing ace driver fell short in the dying moments of the race and finished second to Harrison Burton.

A win at Darlington Raceway would’ve ensured him a playoff spot, but looks like the Daytona story gets repeated for Kyle Busch—too close to the win and yet too far away. With him, the Richard Childress Racing’s Cup Series season has come to an end.

Chase Briscoe, however, is the one who has flipped the odds in his favor. The No.14 of Stewart Hass Racing was 144 points behind the playoff line. From there, he has banged right into the playoffs with an emphatic win over Kyle Busch. Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. are probably the ones who will qualify for the playoff on points. A poor finish from Bubba Wallace means that it’s season end for the No. 23. Tyler Reddick will be the only 23XI car in the playoffs.

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