NASCAR insiders raise alarm about 23XI Racing drivers Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick

The first race of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 did not go well for 23XI Racing. Now, they face uphill battles to make the Round of 8. Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick struggled at New Hampshire, while others in the playoff field gained large chunks of points.

Right now, 23XI Racing’s playoff duo is last and second to last in the Round of 12. -23 points to the cutline for Reddick and -27 for Wallace. While there was promise for the 23 team just a couple of weeks ago, that has since left the building in one race.

The points reset each round is what gets most drivers. If you don’t have double-digit playoff points going into the postseason, then it’s going to be a struggle to be as consistent as you need to be to advance.

Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic think that 23XI Racing needs to be careful. Kansas is likely going to be the race that makes or breaks the season for the 45 and the 23.

“You know, Reddick’s 23 down, Bubba Wallace is 27 down. They both, you know, 23XI just totally missed it, I guess,” Gluck said on The Teardown. “Now, you look at Kansas as a track where they have been good, now, they haven’t been as good lately. So, really, to me, next week is sort of a season-defining race for 23XI in a way.

“Because, sure, you can go to the Roval, and Reddick’s been good at road courses, and Bubba’s got a lot better there. But you don’t want to go dramatically below the cutline or even double digits below the cutline, probably. So, I don’t think, unfortunately, I picked both of them to miss this next round, and right now it’s looking that way. Because I just don’t know how they dig themselves out of this if they don’t have a great Kansas race, you know?”

Last season, 23XI Racing had the regular-season championship. Tyler Reddick was in the Championship 4. Now, the organization has one win between three drivers, and their two playoff drivers are in danger of elimination.

“No, I thought Bubba was well-positioned to make it to the next round and a threat to make it to the Championship 4,” Bianchi said. “I felt optimistic about Reddick, maybe not as high; I did not see this coming,” I did not see them having a horrible, no-good, bad day at New Hampshire. And even if you have like a bad day, you struggle, find a way to finish top-15.

“You put yourself in a points hole now, where you really need a great day at Kansas, and you may need a lot of things to go right for you at the Roval, and that’s a tough thing to be in. And I am really surprised at where this organization is at right now. It felt like the 23 team was really coming into its own. Reddick started the playoffs well at Darlington, and just hasn’t been good.”

So, Kansas is the key. The only problem is recent results. Bubba Wallace hasn’t earned stage points at the track since 2023 in September. He finished P32 in that race. In fact, his best finish since May 2023 at Kansas has been P17. He earned that finish in both races in 2024.

Meanwhile, his 23XI Racing teammate isn’t much better. Since winning at Kansas in September 2023, Reddick has only earned stage points in one stage at the track. His best finish in the last three races at Kansas, since his win …. P17.

So, 23XI Racing is in a tough place. That much is certain. Still, they have two races to make up their points deficits. Not all is lost. At least, no yet.