“He’s better than I thought he was”: Denny Hamlin believes Bubba Wallace has the ‘potential to be great’

23XI Racing team co-owner Denny Hamlin has spoken in high regard of Bubba Wallace who pilots #23 Toyota for his team. The 29-year-old Alabama native has exceeded Hamlin's expectations now in his third year with the team.

Bubba Wallace joined the newly formed 23XI Racing in 2021. He has played a crucial role in helping the team grow into a race-winning organization and a consistent front-runner.

When recruiting Wallace, Hamlin was optimistic about achieving decent results, but he now reveals that the 29-year-old was better than he thought. He told the media at Kansas Speedway on May 6:

"He’s better than I thought he was. I mean, that’s just the simple answer. I knew he was good, I didn’t know he had the potential to be great."

He added:

"I think that he’s continued to chip away at getting better and better every week. Every racetrack that is an Achilles heel to him, he just keeps chipping away and finishing a few spots better each time he goes. So he’s really evolving as a driver, and I’m super proud of him."

Bubba Wallace winning his first Cup Series race

While Wallace's start to the season has been underwhelming, his previous seasons with the team reflect how he has grown leaps and bounds. In 2021, he scored the first win for 23XI Racing scoring his first career Cup Series win at Talladega.

In his second full-time season with 23XI Racing, Wallace grew as a driver. Starting the season with a second-place finish at Daytona, he wrapped up the season with a career-best 10 top-10s and five top-five finishes. He also took his second career win at Kansas Speedway.

With the addition of Tyler Reddick to the lineup in 2023, Denny Hamlin's team boasts two race-winning drivers, who are capable of posting a title fight.

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Denny Hamlin reveals his feelings after equaling Tony Stewart's race wins

Denny Hamlin scored his first win of the season taking the checkered flag for the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. With this win the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is tied with his former teammate Tony Stewart, at 49 Cup race wins.

The #11 driver termed the achievement as "unbelievable" as he said in the post-race media session:

"Yeah, it's big. Certainly that's why I want to get at least 11 more, is that it just puts you up there with some of the really, really big names of the sport. But again, being matched with Tony is unbelievable. I don't know what to say. I certainly didn't think I'd ever have won, much less that many."

Being one shy of 50 wins in the top echelon of stock car racing, Denny Hamlin is proud of his achievement.