Bubba Wallace needed that top-10 at Pocono. It helped the 23XI wheelman reduce his gap to the cutline with just 5 races left to make the playoffs. But Bubba’s been vocal about his discontent on “having to do it on points.” Well, it seems like team owner Denny Hamlin might agree. Recently on Actions Detrimental, he pinpointed Indianapolis & Daytona as the best chances for his #23 driver to claim a win and a spot in the playoffs.

But why all this pressure? The answer is simple. 23XI Racing fields two cars in the Cup Series. And one is not performing while the other is. The #45 took MJ to Talladega victory lane earlier this year and will lead the field from green for Sunday’s race. It’s been a while since the #23 has won a race or started from pole, for that matter. And at a time when Tyler Reddick is simply outperforming Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin made some double-edged comments before all three attempted to qualify for the return of the Brickyard 400.

 23XI Racing aims for playoffs with uneven performance

Before his Indy advance, Denny Hamlin is confirmed to be battling it out in the first round of the playoffs with Tyler Reddick and ten others. Only 4 spots remain for other potential contenders languishing in the bubble. And one of them happens to be Bubba Wallace. Additionally, Tyler Reddick has overtaken Denny Hamlin in the regular season points standings and will be eager to dethrone table leader Chase Elliott.

These contrasting circumstances in equal equipment for both 23XI Racing drivers leads many to wonder – “why the discrepancy?” In a pre-race presser, Denny Hamlin tried to explain that matter from his exclusive team owner’s perspective.

“It’s hard to pinpoint it, It honestly is,” said Denny Hamlin via Frontstretch. “They most times show up with the same car and obviously, it’s difference in driving styles and preferences and things like that.” But then the 43-year-old owner-driver had an audacious 10-word declaration on the “discrepancy” between the two drivers of his race team. He said, “You know, Tyler Reddick’s generally just faster. And you know, if he were probably in my car, he’d be faster.” Hamlin emphasized, “Faster than I am in my car right? Because I think he’s (Reddick) just got the ability to get raw speed out of a car. But you know, overall it’s just that’s the way he’s been and so he gets a lot out of the machine.” 

“And certainly, we feel like the machines that we’re bringing to the track for 23XI are fast. Obviously, the results have not been where we want them on the #23. The pace has not been where we want it. But it’s kind of up to the team above it to figure out where that’s at,” he concluded about Bubba’s situation at 23XI Racing.

Considering Denny is well due for a Brickyard 400 trophy, that would make him an adversary for Bubba as well at Indy. After all, with the scrutiny, it is only natural for the #23 to try just as much harder to dispel the constant barrage of negative narratives pushed on his parade. Moreover, it is exactly what his team owner, who has been vocal about wanting to see both 23XI cars make the playoffs, desires from Bubba. And as per Tyler Reddick, it appears that Denny might have given his race team some extra data that could help either Bubba or himself come out with a big surprise at this year’s Brickyard 400.

Tyler Reddick soars, while Bubba Wallace struggles

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Indeed Reddick has a fast car for the return of the Brickyard 400. He finished ahead of everyone in practice and continued those efforts by winning the Busch Light pole award for Sunday’s race. But when speaking to the press before his rapid-fast advances, he revealed via racedayct.com, “Obviously, it seemed like Denny had a really good test and we were able to get some good data from him.” For context, Denny Hamlin was the Toyota contingent’s representative for Goodyear’s tire test at Indy only a few months earlier. The other two were Kyle Busch (Chevrolet), and Todd Gilliland (Ford).

It would appear that Denny took some well-warranted wisdom from this test as he will be starting alongside Reddick on the front row. But for some reason, his tire test compatriots, Busch & Gilliland will be rolling off the grid at contrasting 34th and 24th respectively. So does the Toyota Camry XSE have an advantage this year at Indy? Tyler Reddick opined, “Tracks like this, it’s always a question mark to some degree, you know? How close is your sim preparation going to be? But it seemed like everyone did a pretty good job. Pretty happy with how the car drives.” 

On the other hand, Bubba Wallace will be starting his race from 17th, which is once again a head-scratcher. The only Toyotas that will start behind or alongside him are those of Christopher Bell (P18), Erik  Jones (P29) & Jimmie Johnson (P33). Regardless, initial track position rarely matters much at a track the size of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So any concerns about Bubba’s starting position are vague as of now. But can he really overturn all the negativity with a win at the Brickyard 400 this Sunday? He once finished on the podium in 2019 as a Richard Petty Motorsports driver. With what feels like a brand-new iteration of the Brickyard 400, Bubba Wallace must yet again prove those wrong who doubt him.