Bubba Wallace has performed well in the short track races, both in terms of racing and qualifying. The 2023 season was the most successful season of his career, as he secured a playoff entry and finished 10th in the championship. However, he has not won a race since the 2022 playoff race at Kansas. Despite this, he has recently shown promising results with consecutive strong performances.
In a recent episode of the Happy Hour podcast, the possibility of a Bubba Wallace victory was discussed by the hosts. Smith highlighted the improvement in Wallace’s racing skills since racing with Reddick, who was the lead driver at 23XI Racing last season. Reddick had two wins last year, while Wallace had none.
Smith also emphasized the importance of flawless execution by both the driver and the crew in order to win races. He noted that the No:23 team has been finding their rhythm in the last few races. Harvick agreed with Smith’s assessment and predicted a bright future for Wallace. He believes that as long as the No:23 team consistently performs well and stays in the top-5, a win will come.
Harvick specifically mentioned the upcoming races at Texas and Kansas as ideal opportunities for Wallace to compete for victories. These tracks have historically been successful for both Wallace and the 23XI team. He agreed with Smith that Wallace, Reddick, and other drivers would be the main contenders in the following two weeks.
“I feel like Texas and Kansas are Bubba’s two strongest tracks, and I expect him to be in contention for the win. I agree with you on that. The cars are going to be strong this weekend. It’s always been a good racetrack for us. We haven’t raced here in the spring for a while,” said Kevin Harvick.
Despite the potential for success, Wallace needs to improve his racing skills in order to secure victories in the upcoming races. The poor performance at Richmond was largely due to mistakes made by Wallace and his team, so they should focus on perfecting their execution to secure a playoff spot through race wins.