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Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch hailed Bubba Wallace's effort as the latter successfully advanced into the Round of 12 following an eventful night at Bristol last weekend.
Wallace entered the Bristol night race 19 points below the cut line but he overturned the huge deficit with a third-place finish in the first stage. He also had a solid run to the checkered flag where he was classified 14th. With Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick having a disastrous outing, the result was enough for the #23 driver to advance into the second round.
Kurt Busch, who was teamed along with Bubba Wallace at 23XI Racing last year, was overjoyed to see Wallace advance into the second round. He hailed it as a huge achievement.
"This is huge. This is something that takes a team all the way through – whether it’s simulator work, whether it’s our owner (and Bristol race winner Denny Hamlin) that’s doing burnouts, as I’m speaking," he said to NASCAR.com.
After his career-ending accident at Pocono last year, Busch now serves as a mentor for 23XI Racing. He was overjoyed to see both Wallace and Tyler Reddick make it to the second round. He said that the achievement was a culmination of efforts from the entire organization.
"There’s a strategy call. There’s a driver’s duty. There’s a pit crew duty. This is all the teamwork that I’ve talked about for years on how I’ve lost races and won races. I’m so happy to see all of this," Busch said.
Bubba Wallace is having a career-best year, as he is set to finish 12th or better at the end of the current season. His previous best season-ending finish in the standings was 19th last season.
Heading into the 2023 season, the main goal of 23XI Racing was to have both of its drivers in the playoffs. With their current trajectory, the team has overachieved beyond their initial goals.
Former NASCAR driver "interested" to see how Bubba Wallace handles playoff pressure
Bubba Wallace achieved a major career milestone this season as he advanced into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the first time. He has also gone one step ahead to put himself in the Round of 12. At the same time, Wallace has been vocal about how stressful the playoffs can be for a driver.
NBC Analyst Jeff Burton has been following Wallace's journey closely and wishes to how the driver reacts to the newfound success.
“I do believe that he has shown you he wears his emotion on his sleeves and he has shown us all how stressful these playoffs have been...” he said.
“And so I’m very curious to see what the last two milestone moments in both wanting to advance in the playoffs [and making the top 12] how they affect him. Because clearly, he’s very emotional and… This has been stressful to him. So does it make it easier or does it make it harder, and that’ll be interesting to watch.”
Burton's questions will be answered starting this week at Texas Motor Speedway, as Bubba Wallace continues his playoff venture.
