Off the race track, life was pretty good for Bubba Wallace in 2024. In late September, he became a dad for the first time when his wife, Amanda, give birth to the couple’s first child — a son named Becks.
Earlier in the month, 23XI Racing co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin announced they had signed Wallace to a multi-year contract extension to remain with the team in 2025 and beyond.
Meanwhile, on the race track, Wallace didn’t have much to celebrate.
Amanda and I would like to introduce you to Becks Hayden! Blessed with his presence on Sunday 9/29! We’re so excited for this Journey!☺️ pic.twitter.com/ZPHj5Aqjsy
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) October 1, 2024
Perhaps His Own Fiercest Critic, Wallace Admits His 2024 Didn’t Measure Up
On the heels of a 2023 season that was his best since going full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing, Wallace entered the 2024 season with justifiably high hopes. But rather than making the playoffs for the second year in a row, Wallace fell short of that goal despite posting more top-10s (14) and top-fives (six) than in any of his six previous seasons as a full-time driver in NASCAR’s premier division.
Even though Wallace ran competitively this year, a driver’s season is largely measured by whether they reach the playoffs and make it to Victory Lane. Wallace did neither in 2024.
So, for him to categorize the season as a success would be disingenuous. It wasn’t. And he knows it.
Wallace — never one to cut himself a lot of slack in the area of self-assessment — will be the first to admit his 2024 showing was wide of the mark.
“Just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year,” Wallace said, referring to the final playoff spot. “I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort for all of us on the 23 car.”
After finishing a strong third at Bristol in the third playoff race, Wallace lamented what could have been.
“It is still not good enough,” said Wallace, who owns two career NASCAR Cup Series victories — one in 2021 and another in 2022. “We have to go to work to figure out how we can be two spots better, but all-in-all best in class in multiple categories. Just appreciate the effort. It stings, running this well when you are not in the playoffs, but it just makes you hungrier for next year.”
The Pressure Is On Wallace To Elevate His Game In 2025
Wallace not only missed the playoffs and failed to win a race in 2024, but his 18th-place points finish amounted to a steep eight-position drop from 2023. Wallace will likely need to improve significantly in 2025 to satisfy his incredibly accomplished team owners — one a six-time NBA champion and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, and the other a three-time Daytona 500 champion.
In an effort to boost Wallace’s overall results and help him return to Victory Lane after a two-year absence, the team has paired the 31-year-old Mobile, Alabama native with a new crew chief for 2025. Charles Denike, former crew chief for the No. 19 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, replaces longtime Wallace crew chief Bootie Barker.
Barker, who will continue with 23XI Racing in a competition role, was atop Wallace’s pit box for both his NASCAR Cup Series triumph at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 and his return to Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway in 2022. But 2024 will mark the beginning of a new chapter for Wallace in a potentially make-or-break year. With Denike calling the shots, Wallace will likely need to perform comparably to 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick, who went to Victory Lane three times in 2024 and qualified for the Championship 4.
“Bubba is a proven winner, and I believe we will bring out the best in each other,” Denike said.
On to the Champ 4 LFG @TylerReddick!! pic.twitter.com/D1BuHvAJnt
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) October 27, 2024
