Photo courtesy of Mike Mulholland | Getty Images
23XI Racing announced Friday afternoon that Bubba Wallace will return to the Toyota team for next year and beyond. The announcement comes during the 28-year-old driver’s best stretch in the NASCAR Cup Series where he has scored four straight top-10 finishes.
“Bubba was a key part of the early stages of 23XI, and I am thrilled that he will continue with the team,” 23XI Racing Co-Owner Denny Hamlin said in a statement. “When we announced Bubba as our first driver, the goal was to help him take his career to a higher level, and we’ve done just that. Bubba’s continuing to get more competitive each week. We’re excited to see his growth as he and the team work toward achieving our goals.”
Wallace is currently in his second year with the team and after woes in the first half of the 2022 season, he currently sits 19th in the points standings and 235 points below the playoff cutline.
Since Nashville Superspeedway, where Wallace finished 12th, he’s averaged an 11.3 result that’s allowed him to set career-highs in both top fives (4) and top 10s (6). He matched his best-career finish last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway with a runner-up finish after scoring his first-career pole, a feat he accomplished twice before in the 2018 and 2022 editions of the Daytona 500.
Last season, Wallace scored the first-career win for himself and 23XI at Talladega Superspeedway in October.
Come 2024, Wallace will be teammates with Tyler Reddick, who signed with 23XI back on July 12. Reddick scored his first two Cup Series wins at Road America and the Indianapolis Road Course.
“It feels great to get this renewal done and to know I have a home at 23XI Racing,” Wallace said in a statement. “We’ve come a long way together in less than two years and we’ve checked off some major goals along the way. We know we still have work to do, both on and off the race track, but I feel good about our team and the direction we’re heading.”
With just one open spot remaining in the Cup playoffs, Wallace will need to win in order to compete for the 2022 championship.
The final three races of the regular season will take place at Richmond Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Daytona.
