In the racing world, every strategy is analyzed and every win dissected. Not just by fans of the sport but by crew and team owners, too. But in a world so competitive, do the people working behind the scenes, those making that inner strategy go ahead to share their secrets? We don’t think so and that was cemented by Bootie Barker, crew chief of Bubba Wallace when he came to the Motor Racing Network show.

Bubba Wallace’s crew chief remains tight-lipped about their consistent victories at Kansas

When it comes to conquering the Kansas Speedway, Toyota doesn’t require a roadmap to locate the victory lane. They have been consistently performing well at the venue and that has led others in the racing community to speculate and question the reason for their continued success in the track. But what propelled this success?

On the Motor Racing Show, Bootie Barker, the person steering the car behind the scenes at 23XI Racing found himself fielding a probing question from host Todd Gordon. He asked, “When I look at Kansas, I think a 23XI and just your strength there, you guys have had really good runs there without divulging secrets What makes Kansas so good for 23XI?”

Barker initially hesitated and said, “I don’t know.” But he went on to answer, “We don’t do anything particularly different. It’s just a good racetrack for you.  I guess it’s just a good racetrack for us.  I mean, we, yeah, I could give all without getting to your point. Without us taking two hours and really getting into everything we do and why and maybe why it works and all this stuff, which I can’t do anyway. But it’s not something that we do in particularly differently as far as approach or anything else.”

Barker maintained a guarded stance and it is understandable why. For any team, strategy is a crucial factor and can mean victory or loss in a race. However, as the NASCAR community focuses it’s eyes on Toyota’s good will at Kansas, what do the stats say? 

Previewing 23XI’s dominance at Kansas ahead of Sunday’s race

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Ever since the introduction of the Next-Gen car in 2022, Toyota with 23XI has won three of the four races in Kansas. In 2022, Bubba Wallace took the crown, thereby, becoming the first Black driver to win multiple Cup Series races. Notably, the #23 driver led the concluding 58 laps of the race, holding off his team owner Denny Hamlin to achieve the feat. Earlier that same year, veteran Cup racer Kurt Busch also achieved P1, trumping Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. 

Then, again next year, 23XI Racing replicated its Kansas success when Tyler Reddick won in the fall race. Coincidentally, this time too, Denny Hamlin ended the race at P2.  

Now as they head to the midwest this Sunday, the team is all geared up to grab maximum points. And what bears good news is that the 2024 Toyota Camry XSE has been a beast on track. In a recent talk with NBC, former Hendrick Motorsport CEO Steve Letarte reiterated the same thing when he stated, “This new Camry seems to have super efficient downforce. It will really show up when those tires age at Kansas, what is known as a low grip mile and a half racetrack.” 

23XI seems to be ready up to take Kansas by storm. But will it be that easy or will a likely competitor like Hendrick Motorsports in a Chevrolet beat them? Let us know in the comments, your thoughts on the upcoming race.