Bubba Wallace “hungry for next year” after top 5 finish at Bristol

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace recently expressed his feelings after an incredible show of skill in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This race marked the end of the first round of the 2024 playoffs.

Driving the #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace competes full-time in the Cup Series. Despite early struggles and multiple on-track incidents this season, Wallace gained momentum in the latter part of the regular season, delivering strong performances. However, despite his efforts, Wallace narrowly missed securing a spot in the 2024 playoffs.

Wallace started the Bristol Night Race in the 6th row on P11 and finished in the top ten in the first two stages of the race. The Alabama native then found himself in the frontrunners in stage three and secured a podium finish in P3. Following the end of the race, Wallace spoke to PRN LIve's Brett McMillan and reflected on his outstanding performance(via PRN Live on X):

"It's good. I told Bootie, I said we're a 7th-12th place car. Still not good enough, gotta get two spots better, but still best in class in multiple categories. Makes you hungry for next year," Wallace said.

Wallace's team, 23XI Racing, was one of two teams that declined to sign the new charter agreement for the 2025 season. Despite speculation that Wallace's contract extension was tied to the charter situation, 23XI Racing recently announced his contract extension, signaling their confidence in the #23 driver, who has been with the team since its founding.

---

23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin sets the expectations straight for Bubba Wallace after contract extension

23XI Racing is co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and active Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin. The team runs two entries in the Cup Series, The #23 Toyota driven by Bubba Wallace, and the #45 driven by Tyler Reddick, who secured the regular season championship and is running for the Cup Series title.

NASCAR and 23XI Racing have had their disagreement with the new charter proposals. Despite the uncertainty, 23XI announced Bubba Wallace's contract extension. Although the #23 driver has had an underwhelming season, in the past few weeks, Wallace has shown potential to remain in the Cup Series.

Following the announcement of his contract extension, Denny Hamlin outlined the expectations he has from Wallace in the upcoming season. In a pre-race interview at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin said:

"The #23 team needs to make the Playoffs every year. I think that is our expectation, and then make a deep run and finish in the top 10 in points. That is kind of our expectation of kind of where we are at. Just getting in, it is hard for me to say that is the only expectation, but it is an expectation, given the standards we are giving ourselves. He knows that he needs to get better. I think he has gotten better," Hamlin said. [5:25]

Hamlin, who was out of the top 12 ahead of the race at Bristol, secured P4 in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, right behind his 23XI driver Bubba Wallace and advanced to the next round of the playoffs.