Bubba Wallace is Deliberately Pulling Off a Michael Jordan in Viral Move – Here’s Why

Published 09/01/2022, 3:59 AM EDT

23XI Racing Team recently confirmed that Bubba Wallace would be driving the #45 car instead of his usual #23. Many ask why Wallace would switch his numbers as Michael Jordan did during his career.

The team explained that the switch was made so that Wallace could effectively compete for the owner’s championship, something which Kurt Busch‘s car was eligible for before withdrawing from the playoffs citing his brain injury. Since Busch’s qualifying incident at Pocono that gave him concussion-like symptoms, Ty Gibbs replaced him in the last six races of the regular season.

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Eventually, Busch decided to recall his playoff waiver since it was clear that he would not be able to take part in the playoff events.

Bubba Wallace will now be commandeering the #45 car while Ty Gibbs will take over his former #23 car. This pattern is seen in resemblance to what the team’s co-owner Michael Jordan did during his 1995 NBA retirement return for the Chicago Bulls. However, Jordan, later on, switched back to his iconic number 23 during the NBA playoffs that season.

Bubba Wallace’s Spotter Freddie Kraft Reveals He Would’ve Drove By Austin Dillon’s “A**” & Flipped Richard Childress If He Was Tyler Reddick at Daytona

Regardless of the car change between Wallace and Gibbs, their crew chiefs and primary sponsors will remain the same as before.

Corey LaJoie explains 23XI’s decision to shift Bubba Wallace to the 45 car.

While Bubba Wallace was unable to make it into the playoffs this season, his luck has not completely run out. Recently he was shifted to the #45 car of Kurt Busch in order to compete for the owner’s championship in the playoffs.

Fellow NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie stated, “All 16 owners that won a race including the #45 being 23XI are in an owners playoff. That’s never been until this year an issue, but the fact that the 12th car did not make the owner’s point because he was the only one without a win.”

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“Obviously, the team wants to stay in the playoffs and get that extra money, so that’s what they’re gonna do.” He added, “There are no driver’s point funds, the only thing that the driver does at the end of the year is hold the trophy.”

He also mentioned the hypothesis that 23XI Racing could even bring back Kurt Busch after say one round of the playoffs.

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Watch This Story: “Even if We Get a Win..” – Bubba Wallace’s Honest Assessment of His Playoff Chances

Do you think Wallace can win once again at Talladega Superspeedway this year? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog as well, covering NASCAR, F1, F2, W Series, MotoGP, DTM, IndyCar, WRC, and WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bubba Wallace, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.

Edited by:

Ankit Sharma

Bubba Wallace is Deliberately Pulling Off a Michael Jordan in Viral Move – Here’s Why

Corey LaJoie explains 23XI’s decision to shift Bubba Wallace to the 45 car.

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