Bubba Wallace Aims For Breakthrough Season With 23XI Racing

Bubba Wallace is entering Talladega Superspeedway with major expectations. As he returns to the site of his first of two Nascar Cup Series victories, he can smell the winner’s circle once again.

It’s not just that Wallace has gained a reptutation as a superspeedway ace. Rather, he is off to a fast start in his fifth season with 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

To kick off the first nine races of the 2025 campaign, Wallace has showed plenty of speed week-in and week-out. However, the results don’t show it, with only three top 10s. He sits eighth in the standings, though, thanks to a plethora of stage points. He’s already led 98 laps this year, just 34% shy of his career high of pacing the field (285).

Now, Wallace is ready to show why he is a legit title contender this year. The No. 23 team is running quite similar to teammate Tyler Reddick, sometimes even showing more speed than the two-time Xfinity Series champion.

With a new crew chief in Charles Denike, expectations are high at 23XI. Denike was recruited to be paired with Wallace after successfully leading Christian Eckes’ effort in the Craftsman Truck Series over the last two years, winning eight races.

Wallace’s increase in performance comes as he’s once again welcoming new partners into Nascar. In early April, 23XI announced Robinhood will partner with Wallace to be featured on the No. 23 car. It’s nothing new for Wallace, who’s been responsible for several new Nascar partnerships, including Leidos and Columbia Sportswear, amongst others.

Now, Wallace is ready to win his third career Cup Series event. If he does so, he will lock himself into the playoffs for the second time. Wallace narrowly missed the playoffs last year and finished 18th in the standings.