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Bubba Wallace Receives ‘Encouraging Text’ From Michael Jordan After NASCAR Daytona 500 Qualifying

Published 02/12/2021, 8:30 AM EST

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The last few days have indeed been quite bright for Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing. Following a promising level of pace in practice, Wallace clocked a great timed lap in the main qualifying segment.

That also saw him attain a starting position of second in the Daytona Duel 2 following that impressive effort. More importantly, Wallace has said that he got a ‘positive’ text from NBA legend and team owner Michael Jordan following the qualifying session.

Wallace stated, “I got a text from him there after qualifying, it was very positive so we’re all excited. I think he gets into town tomorrow so I’m pumped. Like I said earlier, it’s shaping up to be a good weekend.”

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Everything is clicking and just feels good, said a satisfied Bubba Wallace

“It was good to be back in Toyota, back in the Toyota family, you know, working with Wheels and getting the communication down. Working with Freddie obviously bringing that back from the off-season,” he added.

Considering the team acquired the charter last year to commence operations, 23XI have had to put in significantly more effort compared to the others. Hence, Wallace and Co. would certainly be happy with the first-hand displays of their No.23 Toyota Camry.

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“Everything is clicking and just feels good, feels smooth, smooth transition. At the end of the day, it’s a race car, but the way that we’ve spent time and going through looking at everything. Things are standing out that are a little bit different than I’m feeling inside.”

Wallace will now start the Daytona 500 in sixth place

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“So it’s good, we’re excited. I’m pumped and I know that all the resources are there. Everything is in place so my motto I keep saying is, ‘no more excuses,’ and right now I don’t have an excuse. So it’s good,” concluded Wallace.

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In Duel #2, Wallace took the lead in an overtime finish, but despite his best efforts, he just could not hold on to it. Starting sixth in the main race, though, definitely sets him up for a chance to pull away from the cars behind him.

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Therefore, 23XI Racing’s fans will be impressed in the showings building up to the ‘Great American Race’. They will expect Bubba to spearhead their program’s progress even further, and deliver more consistent results.

MORE – WATCH: The Five Biggest Crashes at the Daytona 500

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Written by:

Bhargav Gopal

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Hailing from Bengaluru, Bhargav is an F1 and NASCAR author for EssentiallySports. He is a huge fan of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. Bhargav also has an MBA in Sports Management from the Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Pune.
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