At the Daytona International Speedway, Bubba Wallace stormed to a career-best finish in the Cup Series. Unfortunately, it was not quite a win, as it would have seen him qualify for the playoffs. However, it would be truthful to admit that the African-American driver got a bit lucky.
With a couple of laps to go, he was somewhere in the Top 10, alongside Daniel Suarez. Ahead of him were Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain, running side-by-side. He made up a bit of ground, passing a few cars, before they re-overtook the #23 driver. Wallace then found himself behind a whole gaggle of cars and chasing them.
Last 2 laps of the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 @ Daytona, Bubba Wallace's onboard camera. pic.twitter.com/ltIG6CyXdk
— Andrew (@Basso488) August 29, 2021
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Then it happened; Kurt Busch triggered an accident when he tagged Suarez, who bumped into Kevin Harvick. From there, more and more drivers got involved. Luckily for 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace was among the lucky few to escape unscathed. In the end, he went on to finish the race in third place. It got better when second-placed Chris Buescher got disqualified for a technical infringement.
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What next for Bubba Wallace for the rest of the season?
As mentioned before, he missed out on a playoff berth, so the best that he can achieve is 17th place. Currently, the 23XI Racing driver sits in 21st place. Obviously, his second place finish at Daytona would have handed him a massive points boost. However, Wallace is aware that he will need more results like this in the next few races.
When he joined the outfit at the beginning of the year, team owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan had huge ambitions. Sadly, their target of a ‘few wins’ in their maiden season seems like a pipe dream. That is, unless something dramatic can happen during the playoffs. Amid all this, Bubba Wallace will be focusing on doing the best that he can for his team.
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READ MORE: Bubba Wallace Misses a Playoffs Seat Despite a Career Best Result at Daytona
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