As a driver, Denny Hamlin has turned things around this season. Three wins, sitting fourth in the driver standings, and cruising toward the playoffs. But over in his team-owner shoes at 23XI Racing, the vibe is a bit more complicated. Tyler Reddick is holding it down in sixth, but rookie Riley Herbst is buried deep in 35th. And then there’s Bubba Wallace.

Hanging just outside the playoff bubble, Bubba’s had four DNFs in the last eight races, slipping from a once-solid top-10 spot. Naturally, the conversation always seems to circle back to him. Is it just bad luck? Mechanical gremlins? Racing incidents? Or a bigger issue? In Chicago, Hamlin finally addressed the elephant in the garage with a verdict on Bubba’s playoff hopes. And, let’s just say, he isn’t as concerned about the issue as others are making it out to be.

Denny Hamlin unfazed as Bubba Wallace’s DNF woes mount

Bubba Wallace’s NASCAR career has always been under scrutiny. After his three-year stint at Richard Petty Motorsports brought little success, the move to Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing felt like a breath of fresh air, and Wallace saw an immediate turnaround in performance. The #23 made it to victory lane in his first season with the team at Talladega, albeit it was in a playoff race after he had missed the playoffs already; it still was a defining moment.

Since then, however, Wallace has just one more race win, Kansas in 2022, which was again after he missed the playoffs and won a playoff race. While he did make the playoffs on points in 2023, he has yet to win a regular-season race to lock into the playoffs. And after improving his overall statistics in 2024, but still winless and missing the playoffs again, 2025 needed to signal a turnaround for Wallace, but it has not.

Before the Chicago Street Race, Denny Hamlin addressed the reporters in a pre-race conference. Once again, the discussion circled back to the performance of Bubba Wallace. The question was as straightforward as it could be. “How do you stop the bleeding and what precautions is 23XI taking to lift its mirrors and turn the season before it gets out of hand?”

Denny Hamlin’s reply is as pragmatic as it is revealing: “He’s still in the playoffs after all those DNFs.” In a season where Bubba Wallace has suffered six DNFs, one-third of his 2025 Cup starts, his continued presence in the playoff picture is remarkable. Hamlin even broke down Wallace’s unlucky streak. “If we were struggling for speed on that 23 car, there would be a more heightened sense of alertness… Some of them are circumstances that we control, some mechanicals we’ve controlled, some of them we’ve not. Others, it’s just people making mistakes in front of them, and he’s getting caught up right in the middle of it.” 

And Hamlin’s not wrong. Take a look at Pocono, for instance. Here, a brake rotor failure led to a tire blowout and a heavy crash, ending Bubba Wallace’s day prematurely. And not every DNF has been mechanical. At times, Wallace has simply been the innocent victim of others’ chaos, too, a reality that’s all too common in the Cup Series.

During the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney ended up colliding with Noah Gragson and Bubba Wallace in a four-car wreck on lap 196. Wallace ran inside the top five up until the mishap. But, eventually ended up finishing 28th, following the incident. Then, there was the Big One in Atlanta, where Wallace was again a part of the incident, with no mistake of his own.

These setbacks have cast real doubt over his playoff contention. After Atlanta, Wallace found himself clinging to the 16th and final playoff spot, his margin for error evaporating with each lost finish. Yet, Hamlin remains calm. “If things play out naturally, he is certainly one of the fastest cars that is on that bubble… Him being ahead with all the bad luck that he’s had, I’m not too concerned, truthfully.” For the 23XI Racing co-owner, Wallace’s ability to stay afloat despite relentless adversity is a testament to the team’s resilience.

Still, with the playoff cutline looming and every point precious, the pressure at 23XI is only intensifying. And if Wallace’s Chicago weekend fails to deliver the rebound he needs, the scrutiny on both driver and team is about to reach a boiling point.

Chicago Street Race adds to Bubba Wallace’s playoff frustrations

Bubba Wallace’s hopes for a playoff rebound took another hit during qualifying for the 2025 Chicago Street Race. After a string of DNFs and mounting pressure to secure his postseason spot, Wallace’s Saturday session was a struggle from start to finish. During his qualifying run, Wallace spun on the tricky street circuit, ultimately posting a lap of 1:44.783.

Now, this is one of the slowest times in the field, relegating him to a 37th-place starting position for Sunday’s Grant Park 165. This deep grid spot immediately put Wallace and the 23XI Racing team on the defensive. They very well know how difficult it is to gain track position on Chicago’s narrow, unforgiving layout. And again, the weather is likely to play spoilsport.

Wallace’s difficulties on the Chicago streets are not new. In 2024, he managed a best finish of 13th, and he has yet to break into the top ten at this venue, with previous starts also hampered by mid-pack qualifying and the inherent challenges of street racing. The Chicago course, with its tight corners and limited passing zones, has historically rewarded drivers who qualify up front. Now, this makes Wallace’s qualifying miscue especially costly.

The pressure is only intensifying as the regular season winds down. With his playoff position hanging by a thread, every lost spot in qualifying now carries outsized significance. Wallace’s performance in Chicago not only failed to provide the momentum he desperately needed but also underscored the uphill battle he faces to remain in the playoff hunt.

As rivals capitalize on his setbacks and the schedule offers few remaining opportunities, the Chicago qualifying struggle is a stark reminder. For Wallace and 23XI, the margin for error is gone. Every session could define their postseason fate. Do you think Bubba Wallace will make the playoffs in 2025? Let us know in the comments!