Tag: 23XI Racing

Wallace puts in a flyer for third career pole and first at Darlington

Bubba Wallace will have track position and the best pit stall Sunday night at Darlington Raceway as he tries to fight his way into the Cup Series postseason. Wallace won the pole for the Southern 500 with a lap of 167.146mph (29.421s). It is his …

Bubba Wallace will have track position and the best pit stall Sunday night at Darlington Raceway as he tries to fight his way into the Cup Series postseason.

Wallace won the pole for the Southern 500 with a lap of 167.146mph (29.421s). It is his third career pole in the Cup Series and first at Darlington Raceway. Wallace has now started eighth or better in four of his last six starts at Darlington.

“I can’t say enough about this team,” Wallace said. “It’s [an awesome] effort. It’s been an up-and-down year, but we’ve been really hot the last couple of months or so and have been executing and firing on all cylinders and that’s what it takes. I wanted it to be a great weekend, and you [have] to start on Saturdays and we did that.

“I wasn’t happy with practice. Honestly, I was pretty [mad] about being sixth or seventh, wherever we were, so I had a little redemption to do. I can’t say enough about everybody back at Air Speed, part of this 23XI group, the No. 23 car. Air Force being on the car — so many good things [happen] with them. A lot of good things are pointing our way, but God, it’s the Southern 500, so we have to work [hard] tomorrow.”

Carson Hocevar qualified a career-best second for Spire Motorsports at 167.010mph.

Chase Briscoe qualified third at 166.270mph; Kyle Larson, fourth at 167.015mph and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top five at 166.236mph.

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Tyler Reddick qualified sixth at 167.004mph; Ryan Blaney, seventh at 166.040mph; William Byron, eighth at 166.540mph; Christopher Bell, ninth at 165.743mph and Chris Buescher rounded out the top 10 at 165.855mph.

“The first round, I thought we did a good job; the team did a good job of making adjustments for the second round,” Buescher said. “We were working hard to try to make [Turns] 3 and 4 better because we left a lot on the table there, but then I ended up messing up Turn 1 a little bit. It is still a good start for us.”

Buescher holds the final spot on the playoff grid over Wallace. Ross Chastain, who can also earn a spot mathematically on points, qualified 22nd.

The regular-season championship battle will be determined between Reddick, Larson and Chase Elliott. Elliott qualified 20th.

Shane van Gisbergen qualified 34th for his first Darlington start in a Cup Series car.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. did not post a qualifying lap after spinning and hitting the wall during practice, damaging the front end of his JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.

NEXT: The Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET Sunday (USA).

RESULTS

Bubba Wallace shared Michael Jordan’s advice ahead of his last chance to make NASCAR playoffs

Bubba Wallace shared what team owner MJ told him and how it’s helped his approach to Darlington.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season all comes down to Sunday at Darlington Raceway, where drivers not already qualified for the playoffs will have one last opportunity to contend for a title this season.

The top-16 drivers in the standings make the playoffs, and they’re automatically guaranteed a berth with a win during the regular season. If they don’t win a regular-season race and there are fewer than 16 different winners, the remaining playoff spots are filled based on who’s where in the standings.

With one more race to go before the 10-race playoffs, Bubba Wallace and his No. 23 23XI Racing team are sitting in 13th. But with a few drivers with wins this season, the playoff picture projects him as 17th and the first driver excluded from the postseason if it started today. His sixth-place finish Saturday at Daytona International Speedway helped, but he’s not there yet.

While a guest on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, Wallace shared his approach to his last playoff-qualifying opportunity, along with the advice he received from 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan.

Wallace told Earnhardt:

“There’s two sides of it coming out of Daytona: You’re bummed. You’re pissed off. You did what you’re supposed to do. We out-raced [Ross Chastain in] the 1 car, and we have a six-point, seven-point cushion to him. But we had a new winner [with Harrison Burton], so it’s like the goalpost moved again. …

“I had MJ text me, and he says, ‘The things you want more cost more.’ All day yesterday and all day, in the middle of the night, I’m telling myself, ‘Just try to go out and have the best race you’ve ever had of your life.’ It’s just showing up, me doing all that I can. Take out the outside factors. That’s how I’m approaching it. I woke up in a much better mood this morning.”

Wallace added why he needs to emphasize de-stressing before races, saying:

“Last year, I went into Daytona really stressed out. … I think for Daytona, you can get by with that. But I think if it was Darlington, I would have crashed Lap 2. Taking a deep breath, understanding where we’re at — we’re not out of it by any means. If you out-run the guys you’re racing, then you should beat them. But we have to do a little bit extra work, and I’m excited to roll the sleeves up and do that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale is the Southern 500 on Sunday at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, USA Network).

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Montoya returning to NASCAR at Watkins Glen with 23XI

Juan Pablo Montoya will make his NASCAR Cup Series return next month at Watkins Glen with 23XI Racing. The IndyCar, F1, NASCAR and sports car veteran will drive the No. 50 Toyota with sponsorship from Mobil 1. It will be the final race of the season …

Juan Pablo Montoya will make his NASCAR Cup Series return next month at Watkins Glen with 23XI Racing. The IndyCar, F1, NASCAR and sports car veteran will drive the No. 50 Toyota with sponsorship from Mobil 1. It will be the final race of the season for the organization’s third entry.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in a Cup car and racing at Watkins Glen — a track I really enjoy and had the chance to experience earlier in my career,” Montoya said. “It’s an honor to celebrate the Mobil 1 team’s remarkable legacy in racing and be recognized for my contributions to motorsports. The Mobil 1 brand was one of my first sponsors when I started racing, so to represent the brand again as they celebrate this milestone will be so special. I’m also excited to work with 23XI and experience what the team is building.”

Montoya was a full-time Cup Series competitor from 2007 through 2013 for Chip Ganassi. He made two starts in 2014 — Michigan and Indianapolis — for Team Penske.

Watkins Glen is a familiar place to Montoya. In the Cup Series, he made seven starts at the track with five top-10 finishes and one win. In his racing career, Montoya has 12 starts at Watkins Glen in four different series.

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“Juan Pablo Montoya is a world-class driver who has won in everything he’s driven, and he will be a great closer to the 50th-anniversary celebration we’ve had in NASCAR with the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota,” said Steve Lauletta, president of 23XI Racing. “The events have highlighted racing legends as well as what’s next in motorsports, and 23XI has been honored to have been a part of adding to the Mobil 1 legacy and celebrating such a momentous occasion.”

23XI Racing has fielded the No. 50 Toyota in two previous Cup Series races. Kamui Kobayashi drove the car at Circuit of The Americas and Corey Heim competed with the team at Nashville Superspeedway.

Strong second place at Indy keeps Reddick in the title hunt

Tyler Reddick was content to walk away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a solid points day after finishing second in the Brickyard 400. “Me and Kyle (Larson) were the first few cars on that alternate strategy,” Reddick said. “We had that issue …

Tyler Reddick was content to walk away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a solid points day after finishing second in the Brickyard 400.

“Me and Kyle (Larson) were the first few cars on that alternate strategy,” Reddick said. “We had that issue on pit road. I think he had some issue on pit road as well that put him back there. We just didn’t have anything to lose. A great effort by all of us; the car went through the field. Unfortunately, when Kyle got to me and passed me like he did, I wasn’t expecting it. It was really creative, and he continued to catch the rest of the field and pass cars.

“I wish I could’ve seen that one coming and maybe defend that better. It was a great way to make a pass. [Unfortunately it] means we bring home our Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry second, but good points day. Didn’t score as many as [Larson], but nonetheless, a fairly solid points day.”

Reddick didn’t have a shot of potentially challenging Larson during the last lap as a caution ended the race. The 23XI Racing driver got to the position a lap early on the restart, making the pass on Ryan Blaney going into Turn 2. He lined up third on the second overtime attempt.

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NASCAR threw the caution for Ryan Preece spinning on the backstretch after Larson took the white flag. There was time to throw the caution before the white flag, as Preece struggled and did not get his car moving because of a flat tire, which would have given Reddick another shot on a restart.

In the immediate aftermath of the finish, Reddick, who likely had not seen any replays, didn’t know the timing of when the caution was thrown. He laughed and said now he was mad after being told NASCAR could have thrown the caution to set up a third overtime attempt.

“You always have a shot with these restarts,” Reddick said. “It did seem like Turn 1 was getting pretty tricky but [Kyle and I] were even on laps on tires, and I felt pretty confident being on the outside of other cars. It all depends on how the launch goes in the restart zone; if I got a good push and had a nose ahead, I feel like we would have a shot at it. It is what it is. We’ll take our second place and chill for a couple of weeks.”

Reddick started from the pole Sunday and led a race-high 40 laps. He is 15 points behind Larson in the hunt for the regular-season championship.

23XI Racing’s ‘top candidate’ to drive third car during 2025 season revealed

23XI Racing’s “top candidate” to drive its third car during the 2025 season has been revealed. Which driver is rumored to join 23XI Racing?

[autotag]23XI Racing[/autotag] is expected to acquire a third charter from Stewart-Haas Racing, and several drivers have been rumored to join the race team. One of those drivers is Corey Heim, who continues to light the NASCAR Truck Series world on fire alongside Christain Eckes. However, Heim isn’t the driver labeled as the “top candidate” for the ride as of mid-July.

According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Riley Herbst is the top candidate to drive 23XI Racing’s third car full-time in 2025. Herbst currently drives full-time for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and has taken several steps in the right direction over hte last year. The driver of the No. 98 Xfinity car is sponsored by Monster Energy, which has a relationship with 23XI Racing.

This would be a great landing spot for Herbst, who must find a ride for the 2025 NASCAR season. 23XI Racing already has Monster Energy sponsoring Tyler Reddick, so it would be a logical fit for both sides. Herbst has made big strides in the right direction over the last 365 days, and a seat with 23XI Racing would be a massive reward for those efforts.

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Chicago fine was ‘the best thing that happened to me’ – Wallace

Bubba Wallace confirmed he will not be appealing the fine NASCAR handed down this week, instead describing it as “the best thing that happened to me.” Wallace was fined $50,000 for hitting Alex Bowman’s car during the cooldown lap last weekend in …

Bubba Wallace confirmed he will not be appealing the fine NASCAR handed down this week, instead describing it as “the best thing that happened to me.”

Wallace was fined $50,000 for hitting Alex Bowman’s car during the cooldown lap last weekend in Chicago. It was frustration that carried over from contact during the race when Bowman spun Wallace off Turn 2 on lap 25. To make matters worse, Bowman went on to win the race and clinch a playoff spot as Wallace remained below the cutline.

“The penalty was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Wallace said Saturday. “I’ve been miserable for years walking around with a persona that I’m not proud of, and I need to apologize to a lot of people, especially that are close to me. [I’ve been] frustrated and trying way too hard and not focused on the right things.”

Despite the incident, Wallace finished 13th. He pointed out that for the critics, it’s hard to understand how much work (or heart and soul as Wallace said) has gone into improving his efforts on the road and street courses. In seven years at the Cup Series level, Wallace has two top-10 finishes on road courses.

The frustration with Bowman, even hours after it happened given the mid-race red flag for rain, stemmed from Wallace believing Chicago was the team’s “best road course ever.” It was wiped out in two corners when the track conditions changed as Bowman said his windshield wiper wasn’t working and he was trying to get his switches right.

“When that’s all ripped away, you feel some type of entitlement to show your frustration,” Wallace said. “Did I time it wrong? Sure, 100 percent. His window net was down, seatbelts were off — not an ideal situation. It’s the guy you’re racing with in the points and then he goes on to win the race, so it’s like icing on the cake, right? It’s just three or four slaps in the face when you’re working your [butt] off to be better for the team, and just ripped way.

“Not that I’m justifying it all, but I’m a passionate guy. I let my frustration get the best of me, but I will say, I got my media training from Kevin Harvick.”

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Wallace was at Charlotte Motor Speedway to run a Legend Cars race when he was informed of the fine. Harvick was also there with his son, Keelan. It turned out to be a fortunate turn of events because Harvick, now a retired Cup Series champion who has gone through his share of controversy and penalties, could be a wise voice in Wallace’s ear.

The first piece of advice from Harvick was to accept the penalty and show up to the next race with a smile on his face. After all, it could be worse, had there been points or a suspension involved. Harvick then told Wallace to get back to being himself.

“He told me a lot of powerful things [like] to show up and be the fun-loving guy that I am throughout the week,” Wallace said. “I think that has been one of the most important things told to me — that people don’t see who I actually am on Sundays, and that broke me. I always preach about being the same person on and off the racetrack, and it’s a pressure cooker being at the Cup level, and the last four years I’ve been miserable just trying to walk around like everything is OK.

“Not from a mental standpoint; I know I’m big on mental health and my mentals have been in check, but just trying to carry this persona of, ‘Hey, don’t bother me right now, I’m too busy,’ and then one thing goes wrong, the whole thing crumbles. I came into this weekend with a smile on my face and wanting to have fun. That’s what I’m focused on.”

Wallace went on to say that Chicago was the most fun he’s had at a racetrack in a long time. He hopes that translates over to other races as proof he can have fun and pass a lot of cars.

There were some lighthearted moments after the fine was issued. Wallace joked with his wife, Amanda, to hold off on doing more in the nursery for the child they are expecting. Amanda was another person Wallace apologized to because he hasn’t been the best husband, making her walk on eggshells after bad races.

“And that’s not what it’s about,” Wallace said. “It’s about going home and getting a fresh reset and being close to the people that are around you, so that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m happy.”

Hamlin says appealing Wallace’s Chicago fine is unlikely

Denny Hamlin indicated Saturday that 23XI Racing will not appeal the fine issued to Bubba Wallace this week for his display of frustration after the race last weekend in Chicago. Wallace was fined $50,000 by NASCAR for hitting Alex Bowman on the …

Denny Hamlin indicated Saturday that 23XI Racing will not appeal the fine issued to Bubba Wallace this week for his display of frustration after the race last weekend in Chicago.

Wallace was fined $50,000 by NASCAR for hitting Alex Bowman on the cool-down lap after the Grant Park 165. The team has until Monday to appeal the penalty.

“I think from the team’s standpoint, I don’t believe there will be any appeals,” co-owner Hamlin said at Pocono Raceway. “It’s a learning moment you try not to repeat.”

Wallace and Bowman, who were fighting for the bubble spot on the NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid entering last weekend’s event, made contact during the Chicago race that resulted in Wallace spinning off Bowman’s bumper. The incident happened on lap 25 coming off Turn 2.

During the mid-race red flag for rain, Bowman said he tried to apologize via text and phone call but never got through. Bowman apologized again in his post-race television interview and said he didn’t think Wallace should be penalized for the contact.

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Bowman went on to win the race in Chicago. Wallace finished 13th. Afterward, Wallace ran into the right side of Bowman’s car, which was shown live on the NBC Sports broadcast.

“It’s a judgment call and that’s the explanation that they (NASCAR) gave the team,” Hamlin said. “More than likely, we’ve seen these things happen in other sports where the camera’s on you live, not a cutaway where you’d say, ‘Oh, by the way, this happened after the checkered.’ I think it being live and everyone seeing it probably caused a little more of a social media uproar…then they responded to that.”

Hamlin did not weigh in on the matter with Wallace, which is an incident he said happens every week between drivers, but he reiterated his belief that what made the Wallace/Bowman incident different was being caught on the television broadcast.

Wallace enters Pocono Raceway below the playoff grid cutline by 45 points.

Reddick leads Cup Series practice at Pocono after solo spin

Tyler Reddick spun Saturday during NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway, only to return later and set the fastest time. The 23XI Racing driver had a single-car incident at the exit of Turn 1 early in his practice group, but Reddick kept his …

Tyler Reddick spun Saturday during NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway, only to return later and set the fastest time.

The 23XI Racing driver had a single-car incident at the exit of Turn 1 early in his practice group, but Reddick kept his car off the wall and was able to drive back to his pit stall and the attention of his team.

Reddick’s fastest lap was 168.231mph (53.498s). He topped the board over William Byron’s 167.942mph lap.

Martin Truex Jr. was third fastest (167.942mph), Bubba Wallace was fourth (167.863mph) and Michael McDowell completed the top five (167.773mph).

Ty Gibbs was sixth (167.218mph); Austin Cindric, seventh (167.205mph); Kyle Larson, eighth (167.137mph); Daniel Suarez, ninth (167.016mph) and Carson Hocevar completed the top 10 (166.994mph).

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Larson, the championship point leader, also went for a single-car spin. The Hendrick Motorsports driver spun in Turn 2 and did not hit anything.

Reddick and Larson were the only incidents in practice. Denny Hamlin, the defending race winner, was 24th fastest. He also ran the most laps of any driver (21).

Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the best 10 consecutive lap average. It was Truex over Reddick, Cindric, Gibbs, and Hamlin.

There are 37 drivers entered in the Great American Getaway 400.

23XI Racing reacts to Bubba Wallace’s big NASCAR fine after Chicago

23XI Racing reacts to Bubba Wallace’s big NASCAR fine after the Chicago Street Course. What did 23XI Racing say about NASCAR’s decision?

[autotag]Bubba Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]23XI Racing[/autotag] left the Chicago Street Course with a 13th-place finish, but it wasn’t the talk after the event. Wallace hit race winner Alex Bowman after the checkered flag and caused the No. 48 car to make contact with the wall. NASCAR spent some time evaluating the incident and fined Wallace $50,000. 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta reacted to the news on Thursday.

Lauletta said, “Unfortunately hard to be fully consistent with judgement calls, on to Pocono,” on social media. This suggests that 23XI Racing won’t appeal Wallace’s fine from NASCAR. There haven’t been many penalties from on-track interactions after the checkered flag, as most of the penalties come on pit road.

The good thing about this outcome is that Wallace and 23XI Racing were not given a points penalty for their actions in Chicago, Illinois. The driver of the No. 23 car is the first competitor outside of the playoffs but sits 45 points below the bubble. There are six races left in the regular season and Wallace must put this behind him and make a push for the 2024 NASCAR playoffs.

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Wallace ‘tired’ of fighting with points and not wins for playoffs

Bubba Wallace is in an all too familiar position as the NASCAR Cup Series postseason approaches. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m quite tired of having to do it on points, you know?” Wallace said Saturday. “We always seem to find ourselves right around …

Bubba Wallace is in an all too familiar position as the NASCAR Cup Series postseason approaches.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m quite tired of having to do it on points, you know?” Wallace said Saturday. “We always seem to find ourselves right around the bubble and it gets stressful. Every race that goes by and you don’t win, it gets more and more stressful.”

Wallace is 51 points out of a playoff spot after Joey Logano won last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. Before that happened, Wallace and Logano had been jostling for the final spot, each taking turns as the driver sitting above or below the cutline. There are seven races left in the regular season, including Sunday’s event in Chicago, and five spots left on the playoff grid.

A year ago, he pointed his way into the postseason. It came down to the regular season finale in Daytona, and it was the first time Wallace qualified for the postseason in his career.

“Knowing that we can do it on points…we did it last year,” he said. “But [expletive], it would be nice just to win. Then you can start doing crazy stuff to try something in the regular season, but right now, we have to play the game and hopefully we’re in the right spot at the right time to win it.

“I know we’re all hyper-focused on that, but we can lose sight of [needing] to go out and do the best we can do and run well. I believe 100 percent in this team; it’s just a matter of doing it.”

Wallace has not won since the fall of 2022 at Kansas Speedway. Both of his Cup Series victories have come late in the year.

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It’s not mathematically impossible for Wallace to point his way into the postseason. Although the gap looks large, he noted that his teammate, Tyler Reddick, earned 51 points in one race — last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway when Reddick finished third.

A driver can earn a maximum of 60 points in a race (excluding the Coca-Cola 600, where there is an extra stage). Knowing that, Wallace doesn’t believe his 23XI Racing team has reached the must-win scenario for the postseason.

“Not yet,” he said. “There are seven [races] left, so just get after it.”

Currently he’s the first driver below the cutline. Alex Bowman is on the bubble going into Sunday’s race (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC) in Chicago.

A win comes through opportunity, and Wallace knows his team needs to be in position for one. So far, he has just two top-10 finishes in the last 10 races with seven laps led.

“You can’t count anybody out, so hopefully, we’re one of those cars that you can’t count out,” he said of the fight on the bubble. “We haven’t had the best stretch of races in a while; it was a nice finish and rebound last Sunday in Nashville, but not how we wanted our race to play out. We definitely wanted to be better in the middle portion, but we’ve just got to keep after it.

“We’re all still hungry. We all know what we’re capable of doing. [Reddick] is showing speed week in and week out, so we just have to have a big…moment of figuring out what we need to do and get us back on track.

“So, here — it’s Chicago. We’ve got to do the best that we can executing and getting as many points as we can. It’ll be fine.”

Wallace qualified sixth for the Grant Park 165.