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DOVER, DELAWARE – MAY 16: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald’s Toyota, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, talk on the grid during the NASCAR Cup Series Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 16, 2021 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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DOVER, DELAWARE – MAY 16: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald’s Toyota, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, talk on the grid during the NASCAR Cup Series Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 16, 2021 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
For a while, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace has been struggling with his pit stops. In light of this, there was a pit crew reshuffle, with Wallace getting a few pit crew members from Christopher Bell’s squad. Recently, 23XI Racing team co-owner Denny Hamlin spoke about the pit crew troubles plaguing the #23 driver.
Denny Hamlin says the Bubba Wallace pit crew needed to have a little more experienced pit-crew members.
He addresses the change, not starting a pit crew and how JGR offered him a couple of Wallace’s crew members when Hamlin’s crew had a couple of suspensions (Hamlin declined): pic.twitter.com/lG6NfjVjGM
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 9, 2022
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He said, “People have to understand that, flipping a switch. Say, field your own pit crew is well… Short of us buying an existing team, it’s just not possible. You just can’t do it, get off the ground fast enough to be competitive.”
“But that does not mean that we won’t do it in our own future, but right now its the service that JGR provides us for the fee that we pay. For a while, we haven’t been happy with that service and we’re working to improve it.”
Can Bubba Wallace overcome the issues and redeem himself?
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In all honesty, the pit lane howlers are beyond his control, so if Christopher Bell’s crew is the answer, then power to Wallace. Otherwise, if the problems still persist, then he has to find a way to work around it. For his own sake, Bubba Wallace will be hoping that he does not get hindered too much in the future.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 DoorDash Toyota, talks with co-team owner Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, after the last chance qualifying race for the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The #23 driver is still on the hunt for a first Cup win of the season. It will also be the perfect way to silence his critics, who have been pretty critical of his driving abilities.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Reacts to NASCAR Boss Denny Hamlin’s “Unacceptable” NASCAR Criticism
The Atlanta Motor Speedway might provide a good opportunity to snatch a win for Bubba, as it is a superspeedway and the 23XI Racing driver excels at those. However, he is starting all the way down in 32nd place, so he has a bit of a mountain to climb. Fortunately, the race is long and there is time for him to claw his way up, as long as he avoids any wrecks.
