“I would think the 2035 Bubba would be really proud of the 2025 Bubba.” Indeed, one 23XI Racing driver has been living a year of redemption in 2025. A year ago, Bubba Wallace was running as a non-playoff contender, finishing 2024 in 18th place with zero wins. This season, Wallace won the prestigious Brickyard 400 and won his way into the postseason. It did not stop there, as the driver is increasingly becoming a threat to his playoff rivals.

The middle race of the Round of 16 concluded last Sunday at Gateway, with Denny Hamlin winning. This victory put the Toyotas up front after Chase Briscoe also won at Darlington. Bubba Wallace finished in 8th place. Now Wallace leaves a trail of anticipation among fans about his turn as a Toyota driver.

Bubba Wallace is a silent runner

From dealing with his online naysayers to coping with the pressure of 23XI Racing’s legal struggles, Bubba Wallace has a lot on his plate. Yet you would not see his older version, one in which Wallace lost his temper easily and rattled his focus. With a new baby, Becks Hayden, on board and a stellar crew chief in Charles Denike, Wallace has completely turned over a new leaf this season. Back in 2023, when he made the playoffs, he was just busy thinking about how to crack the postseason. This season, after winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Wallace carefully devised a plan to navigate the playoffs. And the fruit of that is heavily visible already.

The final race of the Round of 16 is coming up at Bristol Motor Speedway. And speculation is rife about which playoff contenders will cross the bridge into the Round of 12. NASCAR recently updated a list of drivers who can clinch via points. And Bubba Wallace can clinch with 7 points “if there’s a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round.” Another scenario is “if there is a new winner from Austin Dillon or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round,” and even then, Wallace would advance with 18 points. In both situations, Wallace is in second place, trailing only Kyle Larson.

Indeed, Bubba Wallace‘s unstoppable pace was visible at Darlington. He was running solidly in the top five in Stage 1 when he nearly collided with Josh Berry. As a result, Wallace was forced to back up, losing several precious track positions. However, he did not react as he would have in years past. The No. 23 Toyota team quickly moved on from the mishap, focusing on rebounding. And their remarkable 6th-place finish elicited praise from team owner Denny Hamlin. He said, “Where Bubba’s made the biggest gains is understanding that this is a 500-mile race, not a 300 mile, and understanding how to get to the finish and optimize his day. When the cards don’t fall your way, you have to figure out how to get the best out of the day. And they did that.”

Clearly, Bubba Wallace is here to play. And surprisingly, the majority of the NASCAR fanbase is reversing its opinion about him.

Bubba Wallace is redeeming his reputation

In years past, Bubba Wallace faced a lot of heat from fans. The 23XI Racing driver got into conflicts with popular drivers, like when he spun out Kyle Larson in a 2022 Las Vegas race. In 2024, Wallace door-slammed Alex Bowman in Chicago. But Wallace has put these unpopular incidents way past him. With an increasingly stellar resume, fans are rooting for him. Somebody praised the turnaround, marveling at Wallace’s point situation: “Bubba only needing 7 pts at Bristol to clinch a R12 spot was not on my bingo card headed into the playoffs. This first round has been surreal.” Another fan simply commented on the remarkable nature of Wallace’s redemption story. From being a hot-headed failure to an energetic frontrunner, he has come a long way. So a fan wrote, “It’s beautiful.”

Bubba Wallace is slowly mastering diverse racetracks, taking on ovals, short tracks, and road courses with better precision. Although he finished 12th in Mexico City and 8th at Watkins Glen, one fan professed apprehension about the upcoming road course at the Charlotte Roval. They wrote, “Bubba is honestly my dark horse. That team has been firing on all cylinders. The Roval is honestly the only weak spot I see for him.” Somebody else also congratulated the No. 23 Toyota team as a whole. With a fierce crew chief and a hardworking team, Wallace may peek into the Final 4. The fan wrote, “It’s awesome for him. That team has been clicking. He has a legit shot to get to Phoenix.”

Another fan noted the disparity between the two 23XI Racing drivers. At this time last year, Tyler Reddick was on fire, chasing the championship with three wins under his belt. Now, Reddick is still looking for his season’s first victory while his teammate soars ahead. The comment read, “Past couple months hes been 5th-10th on pure speed and more often then not is flirting with the top 5 and leading laps. Its like him and reddick switched.”

Evidently, the tides are changing wildly for Bubba Wallace. With fans and race finishes on his side, the sky is the limit for the Toyota star.