Commanding more haters than fans, Bubba Wallace has been struggling to perform during the 2023 season. As polarizing as he is, Wallace was constantly making headlines for all the wrong reasons. From flipping the bird on the live telecast at North Wilkesboro to being named for ‘Fan Appeal’ on ChatGPT and NASCAR on NBC’s ultimate NASCAR driver list, the 23XI Racing #23 driver was constantly met with booing from fans.

Ranking 17th in NASCAR’s current championship standings, Bubba Wallace has been plagued by five DNFs this season. Seemingly losing playoff hope for his driver, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin made an alarming revelation regarding his #23 driver.

Denny Hamlin favors rivals over the #23 driver

Starting out strong last season with a 2nd-place finish at the prestigious Daytona 500, Bubba Wallace impressed his team owners with a third-place finish at New Hampshire. Continuing to exceed expectations, Wallace placed 2nd at Michigan before claiming the title at the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas. Impressed with his #23 driver’s last season performance, Denny Hamlin had high expectations from Bubba Wallace for the 2023 season, hoping for a playoff run.

During an episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast in January 2023, a hopeful Hamlin was heard saying, “Certainly we expect him to make the playoffs. You know Bubba did such a great job for, I mean, finishing in the top 10 and points for us racing in the playoffs. I don’t know, not many people know that.  That 45 car with Bubba driving it finished 10th in points last year in that playoff run so he did a great job…

And then Bubba, just what he’s done over the last half of the year was just, he’s exceeded my expectation of his talent level.  Like he started to perform where I thought he was, and then he started exceeding it. And I’m like, ‘Wow! He’s doing really, really well’. So I expect both of our guys to make the playoffs and I expect both of them to be top 12 in points.”

Forced to bite his tongue following Bubba Wallace’s lackluster performance this season, Denny Hamlin made an alarming revelation. In a recent episode of the Action Detrimental podcast, the 23XI Racing co-owner discussed his views on the current season’s playoff ranking.

Putting forth his view on who could grab a spot in the playoffs, Hamlin said, “I’m gonna put (Chase) Elliot in, that leaves one spot between McDowell, Suarez, Gibbs, Bowman, Bubba, and Allmendinger.”

Favoring Trackhouse Racing‘s #99 Daniel Suarez over Bubba Wallace, he added, “On performance, you look at what has performed over the entire season, (Daniel) Suarez’s team is the top. It is, it’s just the top, and he’s not at a deficit. And he runs 5th to 12th most weeks. You know just performance wise that jumps at the page of me. Pit crew, he’s got the edge. Points, he’s got the edge. Elliot and Suarez get the final two spots.”

While Denny Hamlin snubbed his #23 driver from the potential playoffs list, Bubba Wallace may finally seek redemption.

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Can Bubba Wallace secure a spot in the playoffs?

Although Denny Hamlin may have favored Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace’s 2023 season performance cannot be dismissed altogether. With five DNFs in his bag, it’s also worth mentioning that the 23XI Racing #23 driver also has four top-5 finishes and five top-10 finishes this season.

In New Hampshire for the upcoming Crayon 301 Cup Series race, Bubba Wallace has secured the 8th position in the qualifying stage. This may also help Wallace to quickly rack up points and finally secure a spot in the playoffs.

Will Bubba Wallace force Denny Hamlin to bite his tongue once again after an impressive performance in the upcoming races? Stay connected to find out.

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