NASCAR insiders react to Bubba Wallace, 23XI making playoffs amid lawsuit drama, lost money

23XI Racing may be embroiled in a lawsuit with NASCAR at the moment, but that didn’t stop them from capturing a huge win in one of the sport’s crown jewel events. Bubba Wallace drove the No. 23 Toyota to victory during this past weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After the landmark win, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic tried to make sense of all the storylines coming out of Indiana. First, Gluck stated his belief that Wallace is one of the more shocking victors in the Brickyard 400 that he can remember, with all the drama surrounding his team at the moment.

“This is a big moment for (Wallace). Takes some playoff pressure off with four races to go,” Gluck stated via The Teardown. “For 23XI, embroiled in the court situation, you’ve got an open team now in the playoffs. So, just a lot of layers to this. … We saw 23XI jump up like they did today where they haven’t (before).

“We’ve been talking about 23XI’s fall-off, ‘Reddick doesn’t seem like Reddick. Bubba doesn’t seem like Bubba.’ I mean, you’re a better historian than I am, but this, to me, is actually maybe the most surprising Brickyard win I’ve seen in a while.”

Meanwhile, Bianchi credited Wallace and company for keeping the main thing the main thing amid the organization’s legal drama. That how they were able to kiss the bricks over the weekend.

“(23XI is) likely going to have two (teams in the playoffs), because Reddick should get in on points, as long as there’s not a rash of first-time winners over the next four weeks. A huge week for a huge win for 23XI, and everything they did,” Bianchi added. “They continue to not let the off-track stuff affect them on the track.

“Reddick’s had a good season points-wise. Bubba’s got the win now. Despite everything else going on, they just keep (going) on the competition side. They just keep their head down and focused on what they need to do, and look at what the results are.”

Moreover, Gluck further explained that since Wallace and Reddick aren’t chartered teams at the moment, they won’t count as part of the winnings for the playoffs. So, 23XI being in the playoffs will feasibly make the rest of the drivers in the Top 16 more money when the time comes. It’s just another wrinkle in the lawsuit between 23XI and NASCAR that’ll have a real-time impact on the sport.

Regardless, Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing should be commended for their drive in the Brickyard 400. The team is locked into the playoffs, and now it’ll be on Tyler Reddick to continue the momentum before the playoffs begin in a little over a month.