While it was another close call for Bubba Wallace, it was the kind that strung at his heart at Daytona. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
In 2018, Bubba Wallace finished his first Daytona 500 in second place.
Four years, it’s the same song, second verse.
After contending all day in the 54th Annual Daytona 500, Wallace finished second to Austin Cindric by less than a car length.
“[I’m] just dejected,” said Wallace, who won the last fall’s Talladega race. “I’m going to be pissed off about this one for a while. I was happy on the first second-place we got a couple years ago. This one sucks when you’re that close.”
After starting 16th, Wallace wheeled his No. 23 Toyota to the top 10 where he linked up with the other Toyotas. All six cars under 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing drafted together for most of Stage 1 before a Lap 63 crash took out team owner Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
From that point on, the remaining four Toyotas could never link up for an extended period of time. Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. each went on their own paths, while Wallace and Kyle Busch stayed drafting partners. Wallace finished third in Stage 2. With help of Kyle, Wallace led several laps in Stage 3 while battling Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and several Fords.
On a restart with six laps to go, Wallace suffered damage on a crash involving Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher. He lost his right-front fender after making contact with Stenhouse Jr. Wallace didn’t have to pit, but the team had aerodynamical concerns as he restarted third in overtime.
Bubba Wallace nearly replicated his Talladega heroics at Daytona. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
“The tow got knocked out and I was worried about that, but I was also worried about a flat tire,” Wallace said.
The No. 23 lined up on the bottom, but race-winner Austin Cindric got a strong jump on the restart with other Fords on the top. Wallace entered Turn 3 on the final lap in fifth place, but Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe slapped the wall ahead and Wallace moved into second. He tried to pass Cindric on the bottom for the win but finished half a car length behind him.
“I had a lot of confidence those last 10 laps,” Wallace said. “I thought we had it in the bag when we were like sixth-to-fifth. I thought it was our night, but maybe I jumped the gun too much.”
Wallace has now finished second or better in the last three superspeedway races, dating back to last summer’s race at Daytona. The finish is also the seventh top-five finish of his career and his first since he won at Talladega. Just two of his top-five finishes are not at Daytona or Talladega: Indianapolis in 2019 and the second Pocono race in 2021.
No doubt, Bubba Wallace has confidence in his team’s capabilities of winning races. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
“Our speedway stuff has been so strong,” Wallace said. “It’s fun to be a part of… It’s special when you have the right people around you to help you succeed.”
Kurt Busch finished 19th in his first points-paying race with 23XI Racing. Owner Denny Hamlin finished 37th for his first DNF of his Daytona 500 career and his first since Indianapolis in July 2020.
Next up: Wallace makes his 23XI Racing debut at Auto Club Speedway next Sunday. NASCAR never visited the track in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the second-year team has never made a start at the track. Wallace’s best finish in three Cup starts with Richard Petty Motorsports was 20th in 2018.
