Bubba Wallace and the #23 team is undergoing major changes ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Veteran crew chief Bootie Barker will make way for Charles Denike as the crew chief for the No. 23 team starting with the Daytona 500 race.

Barker will continue to call the races till the end of this year, and the final race in Phoenix will be his last one. Meanwhile, Denike will see out his stint with the No. 19 truck team at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. Barker will remain with the 23XI Racing team and continue contributing with his new role in the competition leadership team to prepare cars and tactics for the races.

“23XI has been good to me, and I hope I have been as good for 23XI. Loyalty is important to me, and I will continue to do all I can to help everyone here succeed in my new role. I was fortunate to be a part of the 23XI’s inception, and I look forward to being a part of the team’s continued journey. I know there are more wins to come with the No. 23 team and I’m eager to support them and the whole organization in our work to be a top-tier race team.” Barker said via the team’s press release.

“Bootie has meant a lot to me and the No. 23 team. We’ve been together for some special moments, and I’m glad he’s still going to be a part of what we’re building at 23XI. I know this wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m excited to work with Charles and see what we can accomplish together.” Bubba Wallace added.

This was indeed surprising news for the fans of the #23 team. But they agreed that changes were imminent for Wallace to excel on the racetrack.

23XI Racing made the right call in replacing Bootie Barker with Charles Denike

The 2024 Cup Series season wasn’t too great for the #23 team. After the early string of good results, the team never looked like a race-winning outfit. And with two races to go in the 2024 season, they are still looking for their first win. It was evident that something had to give in, and a change in the crew was one of the vital decisions that could help the team turn the corner for good. “Bootie’s a good guy, and I’m grateful for his work with Bubba, but too often this year the car got worse during the course of a race. I’m happy for a CC change.”

Last year, Bubba Wallace reached the playoffs with a clutch performance at Daytona. But the 2024 campaign has been nothing short of a head-scratcher for him, as he failed to have consistent runs and fell short of advancing to the knockout rounds. 23XI Racing is a team that aspires to win and be in championship contention. At the moment the #23 team isn’t on that trajectory under Barker’s leadership. Therefore, reacting to this change, a fan wrote, “It was time for a change.”

The #23 team’s last win came at Talladega, and since then they haven’t tasted victory in the cup series. Now that Barker is leaving the camp, Wallace will have to step his game up to turn the tides in his favor. “Alright, next year is put up for shut up for Bubba then. I don’t want to hear more crew chief excuses like I did from the Bowman or Suarez fans.”

It’s just strange to see Tyler Reddick and the #45 team performing their level best in the Cup Series while Wallace struggled throughout the season. Reddick won the regular season championship and has locked himself in for the championship race in Phoenix. It was only time until the higher-ups at 23XI Racing made a call with the #23 team and a lot of fans expected such a move by the team. “Had a feeling this might be coming…”

Wallace’s last Cup win came in 2022 driving the #45 car. Not sure if the #23 number is cursed or something, but Reddick seems to have continued the winning tradition. In total, Wallace has bagged six top 5 finishes in 2024, and with the right guidance and strategy, these could’ve been converted into wins. But now that there is a change in the team with a new crew chief coming in, the team is now expected to contend for victories. “Maybe Bubba Wallace can get more wins now.”

This crew chief change isn’t going to make Bubba Wallace a championship contender in 2025. A realistic goal for the #23 team next year will be to reach the playoffs and then build on that. But they need to start churning up wins, as point racing isn’t going to lead them to success.