When Bubba Wallace rolled into Darlington Raceway, he knew exactly who was standing between him and the playoffs: Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain. The mission was clear: break into the playoff bubble. But nothing could have prepared him for the curveball that actually derailed his hopes—a surprise contender that poured cold water on his playoff dreams.

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, Wallace’s team owner, wasn’t exactly jumping for joy, but he did find himself impressed despite the letdown. Enter Chase Briscoe, who, despite the pressure of his team’s uncertain future, pulled off a last-minute surprise by sneaking into the playoffs. Hamlin couldn’t help but look favorably at the playoff system’s ability to stir up drama and surprise outcomes!

Chase Briscoe leaves Wallace’s team owner star-struck

Stewart-Haas Racing announced its closure earlier in May, setting off a whirlwind of challenges within its quarters. Despite the mounting pressure and emotional outcome, Chase Briscoe kept a low profile throughout the year. He displayed flashes of brilliance, like his 5th-place finish at the Darlington spring race and runner-up finish in New Hampshire. And having Darlington as the playoff fixer event threw the ball right into his court.

That left Denny Hamlin praising the SHR torchbearer’s prowess. In an ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode, Hamlin first hailed Bubba Wallace’s superb effort, as clinching the pole is no mean thing. “He (Bubba) had to put himself in the category to win. And he did – ran up-front all race. I think the key was him having a good qualifying effort on Saturday…stayed up front..was really fast in the short run – just kept that track position, kept himself in the game the whole race.”

However, the 23XI Racing team’s woes amplified, as Chase Briscoe was too sharp for them. In a crucial pit strategy after the lap 344 wreck, Briscoe decided to stay out without fresher tires. That was a risk considering Darlington’s high tire wear but ultimately played out. Hamlin oozed praises: “Wow! We had an awesome race at the end – some wild restarts…That was a big, big moment in how the last few restarts played out and ultimately who won the race.”

Denny Hamlin added, “It seemed like they have been the Stewart-Haas car that had the most solid finishes all year long…They put it all together. And what a well-executed race and just a great job by Chase driving that three-wide in turn 3 there.” Ultimately, Wallace was left with a hung face as Chase Briscoe soared into the playoffs. Like Hamlin, even Wallace’s teammate tried to console his drooping spirits.

Wallace receives empathy

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While one side of the 23XI Racing garage is high on winner’s ecstasy, the other side is glum with misfortune. Yet the winner’s side has the latter’s back, as Tyler Reddick tried to console Bubba Wallace. Reddick had his own challenges carved out for the Southern 500—battling sickness inside his car; he also had to fend off Kyle Larson’s dominance. Keeping himself from throwing up till the end, Reddick managed to clinch the regular-season championship with one point over Larson.

Yet even after relishing his victory, he took time out to empathize with his teammate, as Chase Briscoe stole his dreams. Reddick cited his own past challenges to console Wallace, who barely made it into the playoffs. “It’s tough. I’ve been in his spot. It’s not fun to be that close and just miss it, man…We gave up points here or there…For them, if they just go through the rest of this, focus on continuing to improve that consistency, they’ll be better off for next year. At the end of the day, though, there’s just some things you can’t control, man. I feel like a lot of times this year they’ve been right in the middle of stuff happening on the racetrack. A lot of times this year, I don’t know how to explain it when things have happened on the racetrack, I’ve missed it and been able to benefit from it … They have a great opportunity here over the rest of this year to reload and be ready to go for next time.”

Bubba Wallace’s good efforts were evident, as this season was his career-best performance. So as Hamlin and Reddick said, he should be looking at a brighter future ahead despite losing the 2024 playoffs.