2022 Season in Review: 23XI Racing

Much like Trackhouse Racing, 2022 was going to be a pivotal year for 23XI Racing. After securing their first win in a rain-shortened Talladega race, the new team quickly expanded to two entries. Joining Bubba Wallace was Kurt Busch. Serving a mentor/coach, Busch joined 23XI Racing to help Bubba’s development and bring a consistent wheelman to the team. Would the expansion turn out to be a great success, like Trackhouse? Or would one driver thrive while another floundered?

Bubba Wallace – #23 & #45

2022 Stat Line: 35 Starts – 1 Win, 5 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s, 1 Pole, Avg Fin: 18.3

Crew Chief: Robert Barker

Driver’s Points Ranking: 19; Owner’s Points Ranking: 10 (in the #45)/ 24 (in the #23)

Notable Results: First career pole at Michigan; Win at Fall Kansas in the #45 car; 1 race suspension for wrecking and shoving Kyle Larson

Bubba Wallace was quickly established as the face of 23XI Racing after the team was formed. With Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan as the owners, selecting Wallace seemed like a foregone conclusion. Leaving Petty to join the newly minted Toyota team proved to be a wise decision for Wallace. In 2021, he posted his best average finish and secured his first career Cup Series win. Things were looking up for Wallace heading into 2022. The addition of Kurt Busch would serve to benefit Wallace as well. Known to wear his emotions on his sleeve, Wallace could learn a lot from Busch and his unique NASCAR career.

For 2022, Bubba Wallace’s season was another step forward in his progression. Setting new career bests in most categories, Wallace’s season helped solidify the reasons Hamlin and Jordan chose him to be their premier driver. Securing his first full-length Cup Series win was the highlight of his season. Taking over the 45 car for the postseason, Bubba Wallace was able to propel the car to the Round of Twelve in the owner’s playoffs. Not only did Wallace win, he ran toward the front more frequently throughout the year, especially at the flat tracks.

The Kyle Larson Incident

During the Fall Las Vegas race, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick were all battling for position. Larson made an aggressive move below Wallace into turns three and four. Harvick backed out of the three way battle. However, Wallace did not. When Larson had to chase his car up the track, Wallace attempted to hold his high line. Larson ended up pushing Wallace into the wall. In retaliation, Wallace punched the gas pedal and right reared Larson through the trioval and into the wall. This took both cars out of the race.

After wrecking himself and Larson, Bubba Wallace then decided to exit his car, walk across an active track, and start a one-sided shoving match with Kyle Larson. During his post-accident interview, Wallace showed no remorse for his actions, including getting Toyota teammate Christopher Bell caught in the collateral damage and hurting his championship chances. Due to his actions, NASCAR suspended Wallace for the Homestead race.

Whether NASCAR’s punishment was heavy enough, Wallace’s behavior at Las Vegas glared a bright light on his biggest weakness as a driver. A driver’s ability to keep his composure is a great asset. While some hotheads and emotional drivers have thrived in the sport, the ones who could not control it at all seldomly last long term in NASCAR. Wallace need to work on his ability to balance his emotions out. He has proven to be too prone to overreacting in the moment rather than trying to collect himself before acting. More incidents like the one in Las Vegas will not serve his career well moving forward.

2022 Grade: B-

While 2022 was a career year for Bubba Wallace, it was a bit of a letdown in certain areas. Wallace missed the playoffs while his teammate was locked in prior to his concussion. Despite running in fifteen less races, Kurt Busch matched Wallace’s Top-5s and was two shy of his Top-10s. While no one should have expected Wallace to outrun Busch, the discrepancy during the first twenty races of the season was noticeable. Before Busch’s concussion, Wallace only had three Top-10s. Of those three, one was the Daytona 500 and the other was at Kansas where Busch won.

Now, this is not saying Wallace did not have a solid season. He certainly did. Once again, it was his career best. However, most of that success came after Kurt Busch could not drive anymore. Once Busch was officially out, 23XI Racing’s focus solely shifted to Bubba Wallace. This should have led to an improvement for Wallace. Credit to Wallace, he certainly did step his game up. During the final fifteen races, Wallace’s average finished improved to 15.1.

2023 Driver Outlook

For the 2023 season, the pressure on Bubba Wallace is going to be the highest yet during his time with 23XI Racing. With the arrival of Tyler Reddick, Wallace has a younger teammate who has more on-track acolytes than him in less seasons. Reddick is coming off a three win season with RCR. If Reddick is able to continue his 2022 successes into 2023, it will shine a glaring light on Wallace if he is unable to match it.

Expectation is now with Bubba Wallace. A playoff appearance is a must for him. Will he lose his ride if he fails to make the playoffs? Highly doubtful. However, it will be an awful look for him, especially if Reddick makes it again. Wallace has shown his talent, but it is spotty. He thrives at certain tracks, like superspeedways, flat short tracks, and Kansas. However, he struggles horrendously at other tracks, most notably road courses. If Wallace has another season like 2021 and 2022, it will be clear that Wallace is more of specialist driver than a top tiered talent.

Kurt Busch – #45

2022 Stat Line: 20 Starts – 1 Win, 5 Top-5s, 8 Top-10s, Avg Fin: 16.9

Crew Chief: Billy Scott

Driver’s Points Ranking: 30; Owner’s Points Ranking: N/A

Notable Results: Win at Spring Kansas; Early retirement after suffering concussion from practice crash at Pocono

When Kurt Busch joined 23XI Racing, it was expected that he would be the leader of the team, take Bubba Wallace under his wing, and continue his late career performances. During the first twenty races of the season, that is exactly what Busch did. Busch continued his streak of winning seasons and looked primed to make some noise in the playoffs. Though Busch was not a front runner for the championship, he was showing the necessary speed to be a legitimate threat.

Heading into Pocono, Kurt Busch was positioned well for the playoffs. With his win at Kansas, he already punched his ticket. Even with the chaos of winners, Busch’s points standing had his spot secured. 23XI Racing was going to have their first driver in the playoffs. Then during practice at Pocono, Busch backed into the wall which gave him a concussion. What started out as week to week updates turned into an early retirement. To this day, Busch is still not cleared to get behind the wheel of a race car.

2022 Grade: Incomplete/ 2023 Driver Outlook

Kurt Busch was not able to finish his season (or career). Up until his crash at Pocono, he was everything 23XI Racing wanted. A veteran who performing well while mentoring his younger teammate. Busch was adapting to the NextGen car well, better than some of the other Toyota veterans. However, the safety issues of the NextGen car halted Busch’s solid 2022 season. Not only did the crash end Busch’s season and career, it also took the shine off the NextGen car. After the wreck, the issues for the NextGen car and NASCAR did not let up.

Despite not being an active driver, Kurt Busch will still be an integral part of 23XI Racing for the 2023 season. He will remain with the team, mentoring Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. That will be a great role for the elder Busch brother. While fans would love to see him on the track, it is nice that he will still be a part of 23XI Racing during the 2023 season.

Ty Gibbs – #45 & #23

2022 Stat Line: 15 Starts – 1 Top-10, Avg Fin: 22.9

Crew Chief: Billy Scott

When Kurt Busch was taken out of the car, Ty Gibbs was called upon to replace him. In fifteen starts, Gibbs was only able to secure a single Top-10. Although his stat line is less than impressive, Ty Gibbs perform well enough to help Joe Gibbs Racing feel better about letting Kyle Busch walk. In five of his first seven starts, Gibbs was able to place twentieth or better. That is a respectable accomplishment, especially with the limited practices and short notice of the call up.

When reviewing Ty Gibbs’s run in the Cup Series in 2022, it is difficult to use it to make assumptions for the 2023 season. On one hand, Gibbs did nothing to wow anybody. Bad luck bit him at times, but he seldomly ran higher than fifteenth throughout a race. However, it was clear that Gibbs was not pushing himself as he was in the Xfinity Series. Like Noah Gragson, the safety issues of the NextGen car kept Gibbs uneasy about going for broke in the Cup Series. Gibbs was racing for a Xfinity Series Championship. He was not going to jeopardize his championship hunt for the Cup Series.

23XI Racing Grade: C+

Due to the issues around Kurt Busch’s absence, it is difficult to grade 23XI Racing’s 2022 season. How much different would their season have been if Busch ran the full slate of races? While Bubba Wallace was able to compete for the owners’ championship, surely 23XI would have preferred Busch going after both titles. With that said, two wins in the second year of operation is a great accomplishment (or proof that they studied Kansas very well). On the flip side, Trackhouse Racing was clearly the superior second year team. 23XI passes for sure, but not with flying colors.

2023 will be an interesting season for 23XI Racing. Tyler Reddick joining the team should see the team contend for more wins. Hopefully, Reddick will help lift Bubba Wallace’s performance. For the Daytona 500, Travis Pastrana will be piloting a third entry for the team in the #67 Toyota. It will interesting to see if that #67 entry will be a one-off for Daytona or turn into 23XI’s version of PROJECT91.

2022 Season in Review Articles:

Griffin Fuller: Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Trackhouse, Stewart-Haas, Wood Brothers, Team Penske

Robert Cwick: The Money Team Racing, NY Racing, RCR, Spire, Kaulig, Rick Ware, Petty-GMS, Front Row, LivFast, JTG-Daugherty

Daniel Smith

Cup Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & Final Rankings

Xfinity Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & Final Rankings

Truck Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & Final Rankings