“Gotta sit and dwell on it,” a dejected Bubba Wallace admitted after the Southern 500. Despite making a solid effort to conquer Darlington Raceway, the No. 45 driver faced tough rivals at the final race. He could not penetrate the ever-slippery playoff bubble, around which Wallace had lingered for so long. And team owner Denny Hamlin tries his best to nurse his driver’s wounds.

The 23XI Racing team now has two polar sides. Tyler Reddick stands gloriously at the top of the points board with the regular season title in his hands. In the meantime, Bubba Wallace just missed out on the 16th playoff spot. But Hamlin chooses to view both on an equal level.

Denny Hamlin tries to soothe his driver

A gala celebration is due inside the 23XI Racing fold, especially for the No. 45 team. Tyler Reddick battled serious sickness to prevail over Kyle Larson by a point and led the Cup Series race field. However, Denny Hamlin chooses to heal the gaping wounds first – by uplifting Bubba Wallace. The No. 23 Toyota driver started from the pole and gave a solid effort. His best career efforts unfolded this year – with 10 top-tens and 5 top-fives, his motivation was solid. But it fizzled out due to a late-race wreck on lap 344, despite Michael Jordan’s fervent hopes.

Denny Hamlin now highlights Wallace’s misery, as it dampens the mood inside the 23XI team. “It’s a tough spot because you wanna celebrate with your team that accomplished something great. You know, Tyler Reddick and that whole 45 team, and what they were able to do this year for the first 26 races.”  Hamlin then tried to motivate Wallace: “And then you’ve also got to put your arm around the other and say, you know, ‘Keep Digging.’ That’s just part of the process, right? And it’s a part of getting better.”

Bubba Wallace’s pace throughout this year did not disappoint, as Denny Hamlin acknowledged. “We’ve seen throughout Bubba’s 23XI career that he continues to get better when it comes to how many points he is scoring, how many top-fives, how many top-tens…He is progressing in the manner that we are hoping that he progresses.”

All Wallace needs to do is buckle up for the better future ahead. “And truly enough, if you can find a way to bottle up whatever has been inside you for the last ten races, and just copy and paste for next year for the 26 races, you won’t have this conversation. You won’t be on the bubble.” Despite nursing his playoff wounds, Wallace still found the energy to hail his tough rival and also his brilliant teammate.

Hamlin’s drivers are strong-willed

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Wallace went out with a solid effort on Sunday. Starting from the pole, he was able to close down to within 11 points of the 16th and final playoff spot through the first two stages. Wallace lingered around the top ten for most of the Southern 500. But as the race progressed, some unlikely rivals charged to the front to keep out Wallace. Finally, a wreck on lap 344 battered his car – although he was able to continue, it was not enough for a victory run. His teammate Tyler Reddick patted him on the back for his “tough” ordeal.

Bubba Wallace also admitted to his mistakes but did not hesitate to congratulate the race winner. “We were back and forth on our Toyota Camry. Just a little too loose, a little too tight. And that caution with a couple laps on tires where we stayed out…we just got so tight there and got back there in traffic and in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up in someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate…Hats off to the 14 [Chase Briscoe]. I thought I did something yesterday, they one-upped us and showed up when it was game time so that’s pretty badass so congrats to them.” Wallace also mustered the courage to wish his teammate and the Toyota bandwagon. “Best of luck to the 45 [Tyler Reddick] and hopefully a Toyota wins.”

Clearly, both of Denny Hamlin’s drivers have the steel will to power through the challenges of a Cup Series schedule. Now we can wait for some glorious tales from the 23XI Racing fold.