While 23XI Racing has been very fast all year, it's been a season of 'what ifs' for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota.
The organization has seven victories (a record for 23XI) this year with five from Tyler Reddick and two from Corey Heim. In contrast, Wallace -- who was the only 23XI driver to visit Victory Lane during the 2025 season, is still winless in 2026.
Wallace was as high as second in the standings after six of 26 regular season races, but has since slipped down to 14th by the time of the Chase reset.
The 2026 season has featured heartbreaking losses, frustrating penalties, and just bad luck for the No. 23 team. This has made for a very hot-and-cold year, with Wallace at one point recording finishes of 32nd, 3rd, 21st, 2nd, 22nd, 6th, 29th, and 6th through the summer.
Overcoming setbacks and avoiding mulligans
Wallace spoke on the up-and-down year during 'The Chase' Media Day on Wednesday, saying: "For me, part of it has been the same old shit, different day kind of mentality, but being able to manage it a little bit better has made it less of a roller-coaster ride as you mention. Still the frustrations of having fast cars with crap results – that is still there. Falling tremendously in the points, getting back on the cut line.
"All of that stuff kind of hit the replay button, but kind of how you went through it has changed. I think this year, where we are at – 14th seed – it was like we are good enough to be top-seven, so the stress of, am I going to be in or am I not, no we are good enough. If we go out and execute, and finish second like we did in Loudon, all of that stuff – if we do our things right, it should happen.”
Wallace believes the No. 23 group is a top seven team despite entering The Chase as the No. 14 seed, and he thinks they still have the pace to make a lot of noise in the final ten weeks of the year.
“I think we are in a pretty good spot," said Wallace. "Our #23 group is hungry for more, none of us are satisfied with being the 14th seed going into the Chase. We have a lot of work to do, but with that means a lot of excitement.”
The pressure of 'The Chase'
Wallace has been in the playoffs twice before, but he hasn't raced under a format like The Chase since 2015 when he was racing in the lower divisions. But regardless of the format, the pressure remains the same. He also believes the key to succeeding will be 'base hits' instead of constantly trying to swing for the fence.
“When you are in the Chase, it is like alright, that flow of nerves kind of settles in, whether it is a lot or a little, it settles in," said Wallace. "You can’t ignore the fact that the nerves are there. Then yeah, it is time to go. You’ve worked hard all season long to put yourself in this position. Some are in better positions than others.
"For me, it is exciting for us on the #23 team. Really looking forward to Darlington and the next 10 weeks, but really trying to not get too far out ahead of ourselves. One step at a time. Base hits. Our Toyotas are stupid fast. We’ve recognized that many months ago, and so to just continue to build on that and just have fun and enjoy the moment. I think that is another aspect that we often forget is to enjoy the moment. It is always business as usual and super intense, but you have to have that pressure release valve kind of right there in your hip pocket to keep the emotions in check.”
On getting back to the early-season form that put Wallace near the top of the standings, he said you just need to "get back on the horse and continue to ride, really. Our cars have only gotten faster since the beginning of the season. We just haven’t done a good job on capitalizing on that. I think for us, it is get to Darlington, a track we have all grown to love and be super successful at, and appreciate that aspect.”
