Winning the Daytona 500 for the fourth time would be a feather in Denny Hamlin‘s cap, but it would be a whole different ballgame for his protégé, Bubba Wallace. For Wallace, snagging a win isn’t just about the glory; it’s his golden ticket to the playoffs, helping him avoid the nail-biter of a last-race scramble and the need to hitch his wagon to someone else’s star. And to achieve the same, Wallace recently spilled the beans on the pearls of wisdom he’s picked up from Hamlin, who’s not only a three-time Daytona champ but also his boss.

It seems the Toyotas have been ahead of the game in the duels, painting a pretty picture for Wallace and Hamlin’s prospects in the big race. And if Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick can leave the seasoned pros eating their dust in their Toyotas, who’s to say Wallace can’t do the same? That said, Wallace has been candid about the roadblocks keeping him from crossing that finish line first.

Bubba Wallace reckons sticking too close together was what tripped them up

After coming in dead last among the 42 NASCAR Cup hotshots, hopes were high for the 23XI speedster to pull a rabbit out of his hat during the duels. But during the second duel, as the final lap loomed, he got tangled in a massive pile-up with the likes of Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, and BJ McLeod, with a total of at least 11 cars getting caught in the fray. It looks like many are switching to their backup rides for the Daytona 500 showdown.

While the jury’s still out on whether Wallace will be behind the wheel of a backup, chances are he’ll stick with his trusty #23. And that might just be a blessing in disguise. Knowing his car like the back of his hand, he’s in a prime position to put Denny Hamlin’s sage advice to good use in the main event.

During his talk with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Wallace recently shed some light on the Toyotas’ strategy to band together, which initially seemed like a master plan until it backfired. “I feel like the other manufacturers are kicking our tail by working together a little bit better.” Then I felt like we started overdoing it. You know, we were trying to form a pack around in 25th and it’s like, “What have we done?” 

On this note, Denny Hamlin shared his secret sauce for clinching the Daytona 500 thrice. Wallace recalled, “He said, “It’s hard to win these things when you’re not being selfish. I’ve won three of them being selfish.” And you’re like, “He’s right.” He’s one of the best, if not the best Speedware Racer in the field.”

Wallace also noted a stark contrast between his racing style and Hamlin’s, hinting that he might take a leaf out of Hamlin’s book for this year’s Daytona 500.

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#23 plans on taking a page out of his boss’s playbook for the upcoming Daytona 500 showdown

In that same heart-to-heart, Wallace let slip that while the Toyota crew is still fine-tuning their teamwork, they’re dead set on not letting any other brand steal the spotlight. He gave a nod to both his and Denny Hamlin’s knack for slicing through the pack to lead the charge. But the trick, he confessed, is sticking like glue to the pole position, something Hamlin has down to a fine art.

Wallace feels he’s always one step behind, ending up lost in the shuffle and having to hustle from the back. That, he reckons, is the thorn in #23’s side. What Wallace is hell-bent on cracking is this very conundrum at the Daytona 500.

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Echoing Hamlin’s recent words, “We’re not an underdog. This is not an underdog team anymore, for sure.” It’s proven that 23XI isn’t just there to make up the numbers. With Tyler Reddick already bagging a duel win under their belt, who’s to say Wallace isn’t next in line to shine at Daytona?