Bubba Wallace entered the 2023 NASCAR Season with high expectations after taking the No. 45 car to the Round of 12 of the Owners’ Championship and winning a playoff race at Kansas Speedway against the likes of Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
It was proof that Wallace’s hard work was paying off and his success continued to grow. Today, NASCAR has nine points-earning races, but the driver of the No. 23 car saw important struggles up to this point.
Wallace has one top-five finish, two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.4 in the standings to start the year. With his popularity already on the rise, a NASCAR insider spoke about Wallace’s future and what he could become in the sport.
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NASCAR Insider Speaks Glowingly About Bubba Wallace’s Future in the Sport
Wallace hasn’t been at his best during the 2023 season, but he still has plenty of time to turn things around. In fact, the driver of 23XI Racing’s No. 23 car is just 31 points away from the playoff finish line despite his struggles.
It wasn’t easy, but Wallace earned his first top-10 finish since the third race of the season at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. Between his two top-10 finishes, he had plenty of opportunities to show his struggles.
Wallace said 23XI Racing is expected to replace him after the race at Circuit of the Americas; however, the organization publicly supported him in its difficult times. Martinsville could now represent the start of a good series.
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss Wallace’s future in NASCAR and it drew plenty of praise as someone who still has work to do as a driver.
“I think (Bubba Wallace) has the potential to be one of those guys that you’re going to see on every late-night talk show and all the cross-promotions that you saw (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) and (Jeff Gordon) do back in the day. He’s got that personality, he’s engaging, he’s captivating, he’s funny. Everything you want. He just has to have success on the race track to prove it. He’s starting to get there, but he’s got a little ways to go.”
Jordan Bianchi on Bubba Wallace’s Future in NASCAR
Earnhardt and Gordon helped bring NASCAR to its peak when their rivalry was at its peak. Both drivers helped make NASCAR the sport it is today and Bianchi believes Wallace can be the next driver to do so.
NASCAR needs its star driver that people know even if they aren’t fans of the sport. The NFL has Patrick Mahomes, the NBA has LeBron James, and MLB has Shohei Ohtani. NASCAR doesn’t have a superstar driver.
Wallace can become that type of personality. The only problem is he has to have success on the track. That doesn’t mean one win per season. It means multiple wins each year and the 29-year-old is capable of doing just that if things start to fall into place on the No. 23 team.
Wallace has a bright future ahead of him and expectations are undeniably high for him. The 23XI Racing driver may not become one of the greatest, but he has the ability to make a huge impact in different areas of the sport.
