The Cup Series is back in action at Richmond Raceway after a two-week Olympic break, and with the playoffs looming, every race is crucial. Drivers on the playoff bubble are all eyes on securing a win to lock in their spots, and among them is Michael Jordan’s No. 23, Bubba Wallace. But despite his speed, Wallace is facing a frustrating challenge—his pit crew.

Wallace was running strong in 5th place for much of the first stage at Richmond. But as the second stage unfolded, a painfully slow pit stop cost him dearly, dropping him out of the top pack and leaving him outside the top 15. Despite Bubba’s P4 finish in the Richmond race, he said it wasn’t their best day.

Could Bubba Wallace have done better than P4?

This setback comes just as Bubba Wallace has been finding his rhythm, as he managed to get a 10th-place finish at Pocono. Then he finished the mighty Brickyard finish in the 5th position and now he climbed back to P4 in Richmond. With the playoffs on the line, Wallace desperately needed a solid finish at Richmond, especially since he’s scaringly close to the cutoff line, just +3 points above Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher. It’s got to be infuriating for Wallace, doing everything right on the track, only to be let down by his crew.

Had he not had the slow pit stop and not dropped his position at the start, we could have seen Bubba fight for the win. A win that he desperately needs. Only a +3 points cushion is not enough. Then there is also the probability of having a new winner in the next race. Like it happened here at Richmond. Where the 32nd racer in points, Austin Dillon, took one spot out of the playoff grid. Currently, only three spots remain, where on the 14th there is Martin Truex Jr, on the 15th is Ty Gibbs and with his recent P4 finish, Bubba is in the final 16th spot.

Bubba has also time and again spoken about how he wants to win to secure a place in the playoffs. Risking it all on points can be a dangerous gamble. With every race, the standings in the bubble will change. Due to all this Bubba did not seem very pleased with his team’s performance. In a post-match interview, he said, “Wasn’t our best day for sure.” The best day for the Bubba faction can only be the day they are in the victory lane. Maybe it could have been today!

Despite the current scenario of the playoffs, Bubba seemed positive about his chances. The slow pit stops are an execution problem for the team. According to him, too, execution is where they are lacking. He said, “It hasn’t been a struggle. It’s just about execution. We have been really good here last four races. Proud of the effort. Gotta keep fighting and continue to march on. Have fun.” Bubba’s fans also know that this race could have been more than P4. As on Reddit, they didn’t hold back their anger either, venting their frustration at the #23 team’s pit stop woes.

Fans react to Bubba Wallace’s pit stop

The pit crew and driver should work like an orchestra, seamlessly. After a slow pit stop or any other pit lane error, the racer loses the hard-earned track position. Which happened in the case of Bubba. A fan called out Bubba’s pit crew, as he wrote, “IM FUCKING DONE WITH THIS GOD AWFUL PIT CREW.” Another fan echoed the same words when he wrote, “A shit stop by the 23 crew it’s written in scripture at this point.”

This isn’t the first time his pit crew has screwed up. Disaster struck Wallace in Nashville in 2022 as a pit crew mishap left him with a loose wheel. The 23XI Racing driver was forced to make a humiliating return to pit lane. A fan took a sarcastic jibe at Bubba’s pit crew, he wrote, “There’s the 23 pit crew we all know and love.” Due to such blunders, Bubba’s pit members have been changed several times in the past. One fan called for this one to be removed too, he wrote “Delete the 23 pit crew.”

According to one fan the #23′ pit crew are still in their two-week break. Commenting on their sloppiness, he wrote, “I guess the 23 crew still thinks they’re on vacation, huh?” A bad pit crew can be disastrous for a driver. Do you think Bubba’s pit crew will be his doom as we near the end of the regular season? let us know in the comments below.