It was a bittersweet victory for 23XI Racing as Tyler Reddick claimed the regular season championship. The bitterness comes from the fact that although Reddick has his pass for the playoffs, the same cannot be said for Bubba Wallace. The No. 23 Toyota driver has put up tough competition all season, but unfortunately, it was not enough for him to find a spot in the playoffs.

Michael Jordan, the co-owner of the team, along with Denny Hamlin, is both happy and sad with the team’s result. One driver still stands a chance at the Cup Series Championship, and the other one does not have a run at it. So after the celebrations of having Reddick in the playoffs, Jordan shared how he feels about the mixed result from his team.

Michael Jordan living with mixed emotions after the Darlington race

Retired NBA legend Michael Jordan is heavily involved with the team that he owns. 23XI Racing is one of the youngest teams on the grid and despite that, they have proved themselves to be ahead of many teams with decades of legacy in the sport. Of course, this is thanks to both the drivers, the pit crew, and the team back at the garage.

Despite Wallace not making it into the playoffs, Jordan acknowledged his efforts and said, “You know, for Bubba, he’s got to keep getting better. He’s going to use these next races to try to get a win and do the best he can, but you know, we can’t stay complacent. We’re going to keep getting better.”

After hearing this response, the interviewer told Jordan that on TV, the latter seemed terrified. This was followed up with a question asking how the NBA star felt now. “I’m still disappointed, obviously,” said Jordan. It’s obvious that the team owner was not happy about having 1 car in the playoffs, while the other one couldn’t make it.

He spoke about his partner, Denny Hamlin, who did a great job during qualifying. With this, he explained how he was stuck between being happy for Tyler Reddick and, at the same time, being disappointed that Wallace did not make it. When fans saw the interview, they were shocked at how Michael Jordan agreed to an interview, but the comments section became where they spoke about what they thought of the NBA legend’s state of mind.

Fans join in to share their thoughts on having Bubba Wallace on the team

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One fan was pretty blunt about their feelings. Comparing Bubba Wallace with Chandler Smith, who they see as a fresh, young talent with lots of potential, they said, “Might have to consider finding a new driver for the 23. Bubba just isn’t playoff or championship-caliber. I’d go with Chandler Smith. Young, hungry and talented. And NOT overhyped.”

“Lose Bubba Wallace!! Then you have a winner!!!,” said another fan who was not impressed with Wallace’s performance this year. The fan believes that Bubba is holding the team back. They think that if 23XI Racing lets Bubba go, the team will start winning more races. It’s a pretty harsh take, basically saying that Bubba is the problem.

“He needs to replace Bubba with maybe one of the drivers from Stewart/Haas.” Here, the fan is suggesting that 23XI Racing should look at drivers from Stewart-Haas Racing to replace Bubba. The idea is that bringing in someone with more experience or skill from another top team might be the solution to getting better results. The fact that Stewart Haas Racing will split up after this season adds as a bonus for 23XI Racing to decide who they want driving for them.

“@23MichaelJordan when are you going fire @BubbaWallace” This fan is directly tweeting at Michael Jordan, asking him when he’s going to fire Bubba Wallace. It’s a pretty direct way of saying they’re not happy with Bubba’s performance and think it’s time for a change.

“Kyle Larson missed a race,” said a fan who was not very interested in Bubba Wallace not making it into the playoffs. Instead, this fan is more interested in the fact that Chase Briscoe took the win from Kyle Larson, who was leading most of the Darlington race.

That being said, what are your thoughts on Bubba Wallace racing for 23XI Racing next year? Let us know in the comments if you think that the team should continue with the current No.23 Toyota.