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via Getty

via Getty

Fans have been waiting for this for so long. The last Cup Series race was the finale at Phoenix on November 6. With the season opener at Daytona, fans will finally get to see the live NASCAR action that they have been looking forward to. All the more exciting is the secret third entry from 23XI Racing to partner Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.

23XI Racing was going to have 2 entries to the Cup Series—their chartered entries. The #23 will be steered by Bubba Wallace, while the #45 will be taken up by Tyler Reddick for the first time. But the co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan gave fans something else to get excited about as they released this video on their Twitter page. 

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Fans’ interest was instantly piqued as they started debating who it might be.

Read More: “You Really Have to Be Careful”- Bubba Wallace Showed No Mercy to Denny Hamlin After His Insensitive Tweet Against Kyle Larson in 2022

While everyone was taking shots in the dark, some fans did some amazing high-tech research. Those fans might actually have hit the right spot!

Decoding the identity of Bubba Wallace’s new partner

There was an array of far-fetched guesses that included names like Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. However there were some excellent guesses that did sound a little more realistic.

On the list of realistic possibilities, there are three prime contenders—Helio Castroneves, Carl Edwards, and Travis Pastrana. For starters, Castroneves has been touted to get an entry into the Cup Series for a long time. While that entry was most likely to come with the Trackhouse Racing Team, there has not been any update on that move in quite a while.

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On the other hand, Edwards has been out of a full-time seat since 2016 when he last competed in a Joe Gibbs Racing uniform. The 2007 Cup Series champion was a brilliant driver during his prime in NASCAR. Pastrana, meanwhile, is known more for his legendary motocross career. Although he has previously competed in NASCAR, all his starts have come in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series.

Regardless of who the third driver is, with only four available spots for non-charter cars, he will have to be one of the two fastest during qualifying. Alternatively, he can get in if he is the highest finisher (among drivers not guaranteed a place) during one of the two qualifying races.

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Watch This Story: Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Makes Exciting New Additions in Preparation for the 2023 Season

If, and only if, the Pastrana move is pulled off by 23XI Racing, it’ll add more intrigue and spectacle to a team aiming for its first title this season. It could add to what is certainly going to be a crucial season for the team’s future.