Wallace buoyant after strong points haul at Watkins Glen

On any other Sunday, a 12th place finish would not be categorized as “really good” by Bubba Wallace. But when the result comes at a road course and keeps him in contention for his first NASCAR Cup Series postseason berth, it’s exactly how Wallace felt Sunday.

The 23XI driver holds the final spot on the playoff grid by 32 points going into the final regular-season race. It’s the only spot left up for grabs next weekend in Daytona.

“Looking at last week, we gave up 30 points,” Wallace said, “I think everybody, including myself, was like, ‘Man, it’s probably going to be the same thing. We’ll go into a heads-up battle with the No. 99 or whoever it may be.’ But man, we actually gained points.”

Wallace’s advantage entering the weekend was 28 points, which shrunk from 58 points after he finished 18th on the Indianapolis road course. It was a bad day all-around between the result, a new winner in Michael McDowell, and those he’s fighting for a playoff spot -- particularly Daniel Suarez, who gained points with a top-five day.

Sunday in Watkins Glen, things went Wallace’s way. There was no new winner, with William Byron victorious for the fifth time this season, and Suarez finished 22nd after an early spin.

“Just thankful for the team [and] everyone at 23XI,” Wallace said. “Bootie [Barker] continuing to preach to me about how good we actually are and how we don’t struggle as much as I think we do, and just giving me the right resources to get these good results, because man, it’s tough.

“I’m tough on myself. I think we all know that here. But it’s just good to execute and come out with an OK points situation.”

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Barker and Wallace have been paired together since the fall of 2021. One of the sport’s veteran leaders, Barker has a no-nonsense personality but understands when Wallace needs to vent and when he needs to be set straight.

“He’s a warrior,” Wallace said of Barker. “He leads the troops to battle and he gets you in the right mindset and that’s what you need. This is an all-out war from the start of February to the start of November, and you have to just grind and to have that mentality, have that leadership, is a massive help for us and for me. So, at times, when I get down and out, he’s kind of there to get me right back in shape.”

Ty Gibbs is the first driver below the cutline by 32 points. Suarez is 43 points behind Wallace. Both drivers can mathematically overtake the No. 23 for the final playoff spot. It’s a must-win situation for all other drivers.

“I think we get fixated on Suarez … anybody can win Daytona,” Wallace said. “We just have to go and win. That’d be great. It’s not a must-win situation, but it can be. Look at [Austin Dillon last] year and what happened. We’re not safe by any means, it doesn’t matter who’s behind me in points.

“As long as we go and execute and run our own race and don’t get caught up in something stupid, we’ll be all right.”

Wallace is well-respected amongst his peers as one of the best superspeedway racers and has a win at Talladega (fall 2021). In Daytona, he has four top-five finishes in 11 starts, including three second-place finishes.

“I like when our backs are against the wall, and people are kind of writing us off,” he said. “We show up and deliver, so that’s something to be proud about.”