Bubba Wallace has improved year over year in his Cup Series career. Since joining a competitive team in 23XI Racing, Bubba has made major strides in on-track performance, including a pair of NASCAR Cup Series victories.
In Wallace’s three full seasons with the now-defunct Richard Petty Motorsports, Wallace amassed a total of 9 Top-10 finishes, three of which were Top-5s, including a runner-up at the 2018 Daytona 500. That Top-10 stat was matched in his first 59 races at 23XI and exceeded only four races later. His three Top-5s were matched in just his first season with the team.
Bubba has followed each season in his career by improving the next season. In 2022, Wallace locked his current record of 5 Top-5s and 10 Top-10s, following that up by locking into the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs and finishing 10th in the final season standings. He did so that season by achieving career numbers throughout the season. 10 Top-10s and 5 Top-5s but exceeded 2022 by leading 135 laps more in 2023.
In 2024, Wallace has statistically outperformed his 2023 season despite narrowly missing the playoffs. Wallace scored more points in the 2024 season than in the previous 2023 season and matched his previous Top-5 total seven races earlier and his Top-10 total eleven races earlier.
At this past weekend’s Bristol Night Race, Bubba Wallace finished 3rd place, the highest-running non-Playoff car in the field. This finish secured not only his record 11th Top-10 finish but also his record 6th Top-5.
Wallace’s short-track performance has grown exponentially and has really shown off in 2024. He was 4th at Martinsville, 7th at Nashville, 4th at Richmond, and now 3rd at Bristol. With more short tracks to go in the season, the next two upcoming races are tracks Wallace has not only performed well at but won, with Kansas and Talladega coming back to back. With that being said and the performance of both 23XI Racing cars, it would be foolish to count Wallace out from not only extending his new personal best but also a potential victory.
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
