DARINGTON, South Carolina – A smiling Bubba Wallace stands on the tunnel at the Darlington Raceway after Sunday’s playoff opener. His 23XI Racing team shared these atmospheres, many of whom congratulated Wallace on a good start in the playoffs. These include team co-owner Michael Jordan, who came over to provide Wallace with a hug and some encouraging words.
On a night when several other champion-compliant drivers experienced major problems, Wallace’s race wasn’t perfect, but he overcomes setbacks. His reward was sixth, and the result was better than the results indicated by the box score.
The reputation of this driver and team didn’t always handle adversity well, but they rebounded after the release of Pit Road. By contrast, many other playoff drivers cannot meet on Sunday when faced with various challenges. And, unlike Wallace, which is 25 points higher than the cutoff cutoff, and there are two more games in this game, many of his competitors now need to manage their own perspectives.
So, pardon Wallace finished sixth in some ways, and it felt even more important.
“I'm telling myself that I'm just aware of the huge moments of every lap,” Wallace said. “Just don't clear the gap you have with your competitors; know when to play, know when to just chill. Overall, it's a very, very good day.”
“Know when to play and when to relax,” Wallace said of his performance in Sunday's playoff opener. “All in all, it's a very, very good day.” (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Things have changed a lot since Wallace last played in the playoffs.
In 2023, the 23XI racer did not consolidate his position until the last regular season race, which was to build up points rather than wins. It was irrelevant to be eliminated in the second round later. For those who are still in their own right, just entering the playoffs is considered an important feat
But this year is different. Thanks to an impressive victory in Indianapolis in late July, Wallace did not keep being in the playoff bubble at the end of the regular season. That victory reduced his shoulders a huge weight and he has enjoyed it ever since. The question of whether he will make the playoffs has disappeared. Instead, they were replaced by the question of how he started preparing for Playoffs.
Part of this preparation involves focusing on ensuring that it doesn’t snowball when something goes wrong or unfortunate. This has been a focus area for Charles Denike, who took over as Captain Wallace this season. His influence brings attention to detail and proves the key to fully unlocking Wallace's potential.
In the past, when problems arise, neither Wallace nor the team can pass and go forward, making the problem more complicated. They have improved this, and provided snapshots on Sunday night on how.
Wallace ran steadily in the top five in Phase 1 when his pit opening lost exit almost collided with Zane Smith. Despite no damage, Wallace was forced to back up and since all of this happened under green flag conditions, he lost several valuable spots on the track.
Wallace will likely express his frustration over the past few years. He and the team will let that wrong linger and spread it throughout the game.
There were no such Sunday night. It won't happen again except to clarify the issue, and neither Wallace nor the team said anything on the radio. What happened was over and they quickly moved on. Wallace then focused on the rally, completing the stage in the fifth phase.
It seems like a small thing – the position of the recovery phase – but it encapsulates the progress of the No. 23 team. Effective handling of such events proved to be the difference between drivers/teams who have achieved playoff success.
“We talk about all year round about trying to divide these things, good and bad,” Danke said. “And knowing that one day there is no need to define the rest of the entire game; we have to solve it for a little while and then put it behind us and deal with what’s left in front of us.
“Earlier today, we were back to No. 15, but there were seven or eight games in the game, so we needed to go 15 to 12, get 12th to 10th to 10th to 8th and keep working hard.”
Emphasizing Denike's point of view, all you have to do is look at the number of playoffs that have failed to reach their potential in Darlington. None of the four drivers at Hendrick Motorsports are better than No. 17. All three of Penske's cars lack the speed to win the game. There are several other drivers/teams that have self-missing mistakes.
“It feels really good,” Danke said. “It's a good thing to be disappointed in the sixth place when you feel like you're running better than you've been all night. But there are a lot of opportunities to derail things, and we're able to solve them through all of them, and it feels really good.”
Wallace entered the playoffs with his seven-year career as the best regular season. He is more confident in himself and the team, and now they consistently prove the level of determination they lacked before. A powerful combination that could be thought Wallace might be playing a strong playoff game.
“Baba's biggest gain is to understand that it's a 500-mile race, not 300 miles, and to know how to complete the race and optimize his day,” said 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin. “When the card doesn't fall, you have to figure out how to get the best out of the day. They did it.”
Can this new look Wallace compete for the championship realistically?
“Oh, 100%, yes,” he said after the game. “I think there is no doubt about the way we execute and bounce from our mistakes.”
Nothing secured was guaranteed to finish sixth in the first playoff game. There are still two games in the round, and then another three games after that, another round. All of this leads to the Division I Championship ending.
However, the Darlington game was a strong start.
“We can't go too far,” Wallace said. “We're going to focus on (the next game), and we're going to have another perfect day, take advantage of other people's mistakes and see where we end up.
“Our Toyota is fast, so we don’t have to do something stupid to take it.
(Top photo of Bubba Wallace: Logan Riely/Getty Images)