23XI Racing announced on Friday that it had inked a multi-year contract extension with driver Bubba Wallace. Wallace is the young team’s inaugural driver, and he gave the team founded by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin its first win and first pole position.
“Bubba was a key part of the early stages of 23XI, and I am thrilled that he will continue with the team,” co-owner Denny Hamlin said. “When we announced Bubba as our first driver the goal was to help him take his career to a higher level, and Bubba is continuing to get more competitive each week. We’re excited to see his growth as he and the team work toward achieving our goals.”
Despite a streak of good results over the last several races, culminating in a second-place finish from pole at Michigan, Wallace has not found victory lane so far this season and is not locked into NASCAR’s Playoffs.
“It’s a fitting time for [this contract] to come right now, we’re on a hot streak right now and we’ve just got to keep this going,” said Wallace. “Now that this has taken care of itself, we can go focus on races.”
He said his goal is “to go get into the Playoffs and make the most of it.” He thinks he has a shot to score a win “without a doubt,” adding: “We just have to continue to do what we do, just like we’ve been doing these last four or five races… it’s working.”
Wallace said he was hoping to get a new contract signed with his team rather than looking around the Cup Series garage for other offers.
“I thought from day one of joining this team that I wanted to make this the place that I retire, and a place that I call home for a really long time,” he said. “The team and I, we make sure we’re always on the same page from day one. No matter good or bad days, we’re always together, and no one’s pointing fingers.”
Away from the track, Bubba has focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within NASCAR. His newest initiative is Bubba’s Block Party, which he held at Richmond Raceway. The event included food, music, and a Q&A with Wallace, all in an interest to get younger and more diverse fans interested in the sport. The program is set for a repeat at Talladega later this season.
23XI itself is growing. The team expanded to field two cars this season, although Toyota development driver Ty Gibbs is filling in for Wallace’s injured teammate Kurt Busch. Tyler Reddick also announced that he will be leaving Richard Childress Racing to drive a third car for the team in 2024.
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