Polar opposite shades in one team’s garage – that is what it felt like at 23XI Racing this year. After the regular season championship drew to a close, No. 45 driver Tyler Reddick celebrated his title. On the other hand, Bubba Wallace nursed his wounds from a narrow scrape with the playoffs. It seemed like a failure just like his previous years – although the statistics vastly improved.

During the 2024 season, Bubba Wallace picked up 14 top-tens and 6 top-fives. Those numbers outweigh any Cup Series season that the No. 23 driver has run so far. The cherry on the cake is his jaw-dropping stats during the off-season. That leads fans to ponder about a parallel situation.

Bubba Wallace was a potential threat

The No. 23 team made significant strides this year. For instance, Bubba Wallace crossed his threshold of scoring well only at superspeedways – he won the 2021 Fall race in Talladega. For the Darlington race, he achieved his first pole by turning a hot lap of 167.146 mph around the 1.36-mile oval. He beat Carson Hocevar’s speed of 167.010 in the process. Then he padded his postseason spot several times – with a 55-point cushion after the August 7 race in Michigan or the 32-point cushion after Watkins Glen. However, those fiery sparks did not work when it mattered the most. Wallace lost the points battle for the playoffs after getting caught in a wreck in Darlington.

Yet, even though he had no playoff spot nor any win for 2024, Bubba Wallace showcased consistency during the playoffs. A NASCAR fan recently compiled the total number of points that each NASCAR Cup driver collected in the postseason. The frontrunners are the usual stars – William Byron, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and others. However, the name nestled in the 9th position is none other than Wallace – he picked up 259 points, more than his playoff teammate Tyler Reddick who had 247 points. This situation was captured in the caption: “Bubba outscored his teammate who made the final 4.”

“Yeah, Reddicks “fall off” was surprising. Went from the favorite to barely crawling through,” said another fan. The sentiment holds as Tyler Reddick’s run after the regular season championship was less than desired. After an impressive sixth-place finish in the playoff opener in Atlanta, things looked good for Reddick. However, the next four races changed the tide completely. The #45 failed to crack a finish higher than 20th stretching four playoff races from Watkins Glen to Talladega  — 27,20,25,20. This was the regular season champion, struggling to make ground.

A couple of front-row (P2) starts in Charlotte and Las Vegas looked promising, but he ended those races in 11th and 35th, respectively. He flipped his car in Las Vegas and everyone thought the championship dream was over for 23XI Racing as Reddick sat -30 below the cut-line entering Homestead Miami. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace secured a top-10 finish in three playoff races, Bristol, Charlotte, and Talladega, despite not being in contention. However, as Wallace was unable to capture a win in the regular season, he didn’t manage to in the playoffs either, but Reddick did. His euphoric win at Homestead sent him to the Championship 4. In Phoenix, Wallace secured a P7 finish, right behind Tyler Reddick in sixth as Joey Logano hoisted the Bill France Trophy for the third time in his career.

This reality wrenches the hearts of Bubba Wallace‘s fans. If only Wallace could make the playoffs. He was close to that after bringing himself 11 points within the elimination line following two stages in Darlington. Unfortunately, a multi-car wreck engulfed the No. 23 and dropped him to 16th at the end of the race. He was 27 points away from the playoffs, and the final spot went to Ty Gibbs. A NASCAR fan penned down what Wallace needs to do next year: “His problem is making it into the playoffs in the first place. It’s been 3 years of him constantly riding the bubble. Winning a regular season race would be huge.”

The 23XI Racing driver is bent on that mission, which he clarified earlier during the season.

Wallace is steadily sharpening his focus

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Well, the points scenario already proves Bubba Wallace’s improvement. Despite missing the playoffs, he equaled his top-fives and top-tens from the 2022 and 2023 seasons with 10 races left during 2024. His average finish also outsmarted his earlier numbers – 15.28 in 2024 as compared to 15.89 last year. Now, all he has to do is strap into a mindset similar to Joey Logano’s and win when it is most important. He confessed that is his goal after his Darlington pole win. “I think from a bigger picture, I’m stressed about being winless in damn near two seasons.”

Bubba Wallace is getting closer to axing that 2-year winless streak with major upheavals in his team. 23XI Racing’s No. 23 team let go of Bootie Barker, who has served as crew chief since the team’s inception and mentored Wallace. Now, Charles Denike is on the block – he was a crew chief for 9-time Truck race-winner Christian Eckes. And Denike shares the winning mentality with Wallace and his remarkable team. “I am a believer that winning is a process. When you step foot into Airspeed, you see the tools and resources that it takes to win and are surrounded by people with the same vision and mindset. I am looking forward to this next chapter and to be able to contribute to 23XI’s growth and journey to winning championships.”

Evidently, the long struggle is nearing its climax. Bubba Wallace may end up dazzling his fans next season – all we have to do is sit and wait.