Bubba Wallace finds silver lining in playoff points at Kansas despite Denny Hamlin encounter derailing momentum

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace recently competed in the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 28, 2025. Later, during a post-race interview, Wallace opened up about the silver lining despite not winning the race.

The #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver qualified seventh for the Toyota-dominated 267-lap race with a best time of 30.27 seconds, reaching a top speed of 178.37 mph. Meanwhile, his Toyota teammate Chase Briscoe took the pole position and the 23XI Racing co-owner, Denny Hamlin, qualified second for the race.

Following a good start, the #11 JGR driver led most of the race and dominated both stages. However, things changed in the closing laps of the race; during the final restart, when Wallace was in the lead, Hamlin charged into him with everything. However, while entering turn three, both Toyotas made contact and gave Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott a chance to sneak the win from Hamlin.

Elliott secured his second victory, crossing the finish line 0.069 seconds ahead of the oldest driver on the grid. Reflecting on that, Bubba Wallace told NBC Sports:

“To even have a shot at the win with the way we started, you could have fooled me. We were not good. We missed it on the fire-off speed. I just really appreciate the team. Two years ago I’d probably say something dumb (about Hamlin, like), ‘He’s a dumbass for that move. I don’t care if he’s my boss or not.’ But we’re going for the win. I hate that we gave it to Chevrolet there."

"Toyotas were super fast, and proud to be driving one. I thought it was meant to be, and then it wasn’t. All in all, the positives, though. We were minus-27 coming in; we’re minus-26 leaving. We gained a point,” he concluded.

Bubba Wallace led 13 laps in the Kansas Speedway race and wrapped up the event in fifth place. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin finished the race in P2, followed by his JGR teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe in P3 and P4.

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“I’ve lived on the cutline”: When Bubba Wallace opened up about his mentality ahead of the postseason

Earlier in August, ahead of the 2025 first postseason race, NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace was featured in an interview with SiriusXM Radio. During the interaction, Wallace opened up about drivers' pre- and post-season racing mentality in the Cup Series.

The 31-year-old locked in his initial playoff berth after winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2025. Since then, Wallace has parked his #23 Camry five times among the top ten drivers on the grid. Following that, Wallace shared his take on the mentality of the drivers competing on the playoff cutoff line.

"Moving about freely, like you can push yourself harder on the track, and if you cross line and make the mistake, it's, yes, it's a gut punch, but it's not season ending. You know, I've gotten down. I've lived on the cut line, right, and I've gotten down to the last seven races, and every point matters, and it's like, you can't try something. You feel like you can't try something like, Hey, guys are faster running the wall at Darlington into turn one," the Mobile, Alabama, native stated.

Currently, Bubba Wallace sits 26 points below the cutoff line to qualify for the Round of Eight. It will not be easy for Wallace to secure his spot in the final race of the Round of 12, as Ross Chastain sits above him with 13 points below the qualifying line.