Denny Hamlin Makes Thoughts On Bubba Wallace's Contract Extension Clear
Yesterday at 12:14 PM
After continued improvement under the 23XI Racing team, Bubba Wallace has officially inked a multi-year extension to remain with the Michael Jordan/Denny Hamlin-owned label.
Wallace has been on the roster since the team's inception back in 2021 and Hamlin was glad to be able to keep him onboard for the foreseeable future.
"It's great to get that solidified for Bubba," the veteran driver said on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast. "We had really kind of ironed most of that stuff out a long, long time ago. But man, he had a great Bristol. Man, he was coming on quick there at the end. You know, those are the kind of runs that are hopefully going to build him some momentum towards next year."
"Again, if he runs as good as he is now, next year, for the first 26 races, he's going to find himself in the playoffs, and not only in the playoffs, but making a deep run," Hamlin continued. "So, really happy to have him part of our team. He's been great with our sponsors, and certainly on-track performance continues to get better and better every single year."
Denny went on to say that he believes 2024 may have been Bubba's best season all things considered — even if he didn't make the top 16 at year's end.
"It certainly taints it, right? But, you've got to be strong enough mentally to really dial out and say, 'I made it last year by not being as good. I was better this year and didn't make it.' That's because things that you can't control came into play," he explained.
"So, you've got to just zoom out and say, 'Am I running better? Is my driver rating better? Are my statistics better? Where's my average running position? Is it better?' Those are the things you really just need to concentrate on to decide, are you truly getting better or not in every category that I can see? Bubba is absolutely getting better, and it still needs to continue to get better, year after year."
It sounds like it's just a matter of consistency now for the No. 23 Toyota. Meanwhile, Hamlin will try to keep his season alive this Saturday at Bristol.
Related: Q&A With Bubba Wallace: 23XI, First Win At Talladega, Diversity & Inclusion In NASCAR
