In four Sundays, the Daytona 500 will grace NASCAR fans with the kickoff to the 2024 season. That means there are 24Â Days to Daytona left until Daytona 500 qualifying. The #23 23XI Racing team had a solid year. Bubba Wallace made the driver playoffs for the first time in his career. However, the team did not make the owner playoffs. Can both sides put it together to make both playoffs this season?
#23 23XI Racing
Driver: Bubba Wallace
Crew Chief: Bootie Barker
Sponsors: McDonald’s, Columbia, DoorDash, MoneyLoin, US Air Force, Dr. Pepper, Leidos
2024 Season Preview
Take the Next Step
Bubba Wallace finally making the playoffs was an accomplishment for this team. While they did miss out on the owner playoffs, the positive energy from the playoff run will be a boost heading into 2024. Now, both driver and team need to take the next step. While Wallace won a race in 2021 and 2022, he failed to do so in 2023. The 23 team has not won a race since the rain-shortened Talladega win. While 2023 was a good year, the 45 team again demonstrated the potential that the 23 team is not matching. Wallace needs to go out win at least one race, if not more.
Owner Playoffs
The 23 team has yet to make the owner playoffs. As the founding team of 23XI Racing, it would be important to see that team battle for the owner’s championship. Meanwhile, the 45 team has made the owner playoffs each year of its existence. That is while having four different drivers behind the wheel. The fact that the 23 team has been consistent in terms of driver and crew chief for over 2 years and yet still have failed to match the 45 team is concerning. If the team makes the owner playoffs this year, then all is well. However, if they miss again and the 45 continues to thrive, change will need to come within the team.
Road Course Test
Much has been made about how Bubba Wallace struggles on the road courses. However, he made strides to improve during the last two road races of 2023. At Watkins Glen, Wallace finished a respectable 12th. At the ROVAL, Wallace qualified inside the Top-5 and ran there most of the afternoon. Wrongly timed cautions threw Wallace to the back and he struggled to move forward. While this progress is good, how legitimate is it on all road courses? Watkins Glen and the ROVAL are high-speed road courses. Will Wallace’s improvement translate over to the more technical road courses, such as COTA, Chicago, and Sonoma?
Daytona 500 Chances
Bubba Wallace’s best track type is the superspeedway. He picked up his first win at Talladega and drafts well at Daytona too. He has 4 Top-5s in his career at Daytona, including 2 second place finishes in the Daytona 500. Wallace has come close to victory at the historic track. Plus, he usually avoids trouble with his 3 DNFs in 13 starts. Wallace should be one of the better odds heading into the Daytona 500.
Speedweeks Outlook
Since joining 23XI Racing, Wallace has qualified inside the Top-20 each season. Last year, he missed out on the Top-10 by one position. Wallace does not seem to push the issue too much when it comes to the Bluegreen Vacations Duels. Based on recent past, he usually finishes around where he starts. The Daytona 500 will depend on where Wallace can get his help. The Toyotas will have to survive to the end or he can hook up with his friend Ryan Blaney. While Wallace has a good chance at winning the Great American Race, there are other drivers who seem to have a better pathway to get it done.
Previous Days
40-36 Days: 40 – #12, 39 – #5, 38 – #24, 37 – #20, & 36 – #11
35-31 Days: 35 – #45, 34 – #17, 33 – #6, 32 – #1, & #31 – #9
30-26 Days:Â 30 – #19, 29 – #22, 28 – #4, 27 – #8, & 26 – #34
25-21 Days: 25 – #34
