“It’s frustrating to see where we’re at because that impacts my life and livelihood and everything moving forward for my future,” lamented Bubba Wallace merely a few hours after 23XI Racing refused to give in to NASCAR’s demands. With a child on the way, losing a Cup seat could spell disaster financially. But if Wallace’s performances are anything to go by, he might not be in as much trouble as one would think.

Yes, he could not cruise to Victory Lane during the entire 2024 regular season. So his 2023 playoff run that gave birth to a buoyant enthusiasm—when he said, “The best I’ve felt mentally,” at the start of the 2024 season—could not be replicated. After suffering heartbreak at Darlington with a P16 and missing out on the playoffs, the driver now faces a severe setback in his career. Yet as a 30-year-old racer, he may just be getting started.

How is Bubba Wallace shining amidst rising tensions?

Tensions are indeed building up inside the 23XI Racing fold. The two-year-long charter fight came to a head last Friday when NASCAR dropped a 6-hour ultimatum to sign a 105-page NASCAR charter deal. 13 teams, including the big names like Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske, bowed under the pressure—except for Denny Hamlin‘s team and Front Row Motorsports. Now these two teams are like “David fighting Goliath,” as Curtis Polk aptly described.

On the other hand, NASCAR does not seem ready to go back on its decision, jeopardizing its team’s future. A charter is paramount to driving in NASCAR—not only does it grant a starting spot in races, but it also offers lucrative payouts for each position. Charterless teams, on the other hand, can theoretically field open cars, but their finances take an enormous hit. Such a team earns less than a third of what a charter team makes for coming to a race. And with 23XI continuing their take against NASCAR and the latter being adamant, #23 could be in jeopardy.

Even Kevin Harvick warned Hamlin of losing Wallace’s trust, while pointing out how the team’s defiance comes at a critical juncture, with one of their drivers, Tyler Reddick, heading to the playoffs. While Hamlin refused to delve deeper into the situation, beyond what was stated in their official press release, Harvick advised, “They have to address that situation, or it’s going to spread a cancer through their shop like they’ve never experienced before.”

Yet this crucial time also marks another turning point for Wallace, as Eric Estepp pointed out in his recent analysis. Since Bubba joined Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) in 2018, he has consistently “gotten better statistically” every year. Case in point: He garnered three Top-5s and nine Top-10s across his first three years with RPM. However, since moving to Michael Jordan’s arsenal in 2021, he bumped those numbers to 13 Top-5s and 23 Top-10s until 2023. He even got a boost, clinching two wins in the postseason in 2021 and 2022.

Now in 2024, he has already achieved 10 top-tens and 5 top-fives—the results he ended 2023 with. Yet nine races remain in the season for Wallace to propel his streak of success further. So Hamlin’s driver has maintained the “aggressive and confident” personality that he posited early this year. Estepp also pointed out how Wallace’s average finishes have improved every season. His average finish was somewhere between 20-25 with his first team—the numbers sat comfortably at 19.67, 18.29 and 15.89 and 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.

And this progress can be attributed to Wallace’s trust in his team, although it stands at risk of losing charters next year.

The driver professed his faith in 23XI

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After all, a good race team goes hand-in-hand with a good driver. Denny Hamlin brought his fiery racing personality and Michael Jordan, his legendary basketball experience and winning capabilities, to form a star of a team in 2020. 23XI Racing embodies the best of both sports legends and instills a raging drive to win. And, that is very visible this year!

• Tyler Reddick just beat Kyle Larson to the regular season championship.
• Bubba Wallace has showcased his best performance yet—and is yet to prove more during the rest of the season.

All due to 23XI Racing’s hard work as a team. Last year, when Wallace clinched his playoff spot for the first time, he poured his gratitude to his team. Professing his faith back in October 2023, he had said, “It’s just a confidence builder each and every weekend, knowing you have the car, the people, and the capability. It all adds up, and that’s what produces results. I’m trusting the process along the way.” 

However, despite Michael Jordan‘s defiant stance potentially leaving Wallace’s career at a cliffhanger now, the latter was all praise for him. He added, “He’s a massive supporter of what we have going on here at 23XI. He’s a massive fan of the sport and he loves competing. He loves what this sport is all about. He’s a glass half full guy. Sometimes, you get caught up in the glass half empty. He always says to try to turn all of the negatives into positives.”

Currently, though, Bubba Wallace may not be harboring such buoyant spirits. We can only wait and see where this charter dilemma takes the No. 45 driver.