With the regular season ticking away like a time bomb, race teams are on guard. The no. 23 team of 23XI Racing is one of them, trying to cash in on every race. However, the past few races have only pushed the team’s driver, Bubba Wallace, more to the brink. Freshly hit with a harsh penalty for his Chicago antics, Wallace is in dire straits. Meaning, all his hopes are on Pocono to turn around his fortune.

While being on the ground for this past weekend’s race at Pocono, the EssentiallySports team got to connect with not just the drivers but also their crew chiefs. And one of them was Bootie Barker, who has been calling the shots for the #23 team since 2021.

In an exclusive interview with us, Wallace’s crew chief expanded on the team’s Pocono expectations. Despite Wallace heading towards his strong area – Superspeedways – Barker acknowledged that Lady Luck’s presence would be a welcome relief.

Bubba Wallace’s spotter is cautious about Pocono

The Tricky Triangle is one 23XI Racing owner’s hunting ground. Denny Hamlin has a whopping seven wins on the track. It would have been eight if not for the technical penalty slapped in 2022. Echoing his boss’s fortunes, Bubba Wallace also boasts solid finishes on the 2.5-mile track. He secured 23XI’s first top-five at Pocono Raceway in 2021. He followed it up with eighth- and 11th-place results in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Hence, Bootie Barker, Bubba Wallace’s veteran friend, is confident about their chances.

When Bharat Aggarwal of EssentiallySports asked the crew chief how the #23 guys were feeling about Pocono, Barker replied with a hint of optimism, saying “Well, we are past check, so it’s a good start. And it’s been a good track for us, so I am looking forward to it.”

The Tricky Triangle’s treacherous trio of corners throws a special challenge for even the most skilled drivers. With long straights and three banked corners, each with its own unique personality, the track is difficult to master. And with Bubba Wallace’s recent streak of upsets, Bootie Barker admitted that their hopes are pinned on Lady Luck.

He suggested that one could always use a lucky break: “We always want it. I would rather be lucky than good. I don’t know, this track can spread out a lot and you need luck everywhere. But if it goes green it causes it to get spread out and you just need speed.”

Bootie Barker, who has been in the NASCAR garage for 25 years, has seen it all. From beginning as a shock specialist with Jeff Gordon in 1999 to his current role as crew chief for Bubba Wallace at 23XI Racing, he has certainly been instrumental in shaping the careers of drivers. When he joined forces with Wallace in 2021, the duo quickly made history, securing their first Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway and following it up with another triumph at Kansas Speedway in 2022. However, the victory lane has eluded them since then.

But if Wallace can harness the same energy that he exuded at the start of 2024, Pocono Raceway might just become the site of their next celebration.

The 2023 run boosted Wallace for this year

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The countdown to the playoff races has started, and Bubba Wallace’s points are not looking good. He is currently 45 points short of Chris Buescher, the last driver inside the playoff bubble. With only four playoff spots available, Bubba Wallace would need the mojo he had last year. Wallace reached the Cup Series Playoffs for the first time, advancing to the Round of 12 and placing a career-high 10th in points. After his 2023 playoff run, he exuded confidence at the beginning of 2024.

The No. 23 driver charged into the season after building up on last year’s excellence. As reported by 23xiracing.com, Wallace said, “I think going into last year, I was like, man, we finished that playoff run with the 45 really, really strong, like ‘it’s going to happen again,’ and I was forcing it too much. It’s a fine line. You can’t just sit back and let it come to you because that’s not how the sport works. You have to go out and earn it, but I think just having a different mindset like I talked about earlier – just being aggressive, being confident. Self-confidence is what’s going to yield the results for us.”

Wallace would need a bit of that aggression and, as Bootie Barker told EssentiallySports, a sprinkle of luck to find glory at Pocono Raceway. Let us wait and see how well he performs at The Tricky Triangle.