“It’s a Fine if I Don’t”: Bubba Wallace Gives Details on the New 23XI Race Shop; First of Its Kind in 20 Years

Published 02/19/2024, 6:51 AM HKT

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USA Today via Reuters

23XI Racing has come a long way since its recent inception in 2021. Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan put their heads together to create this team which has made them happy with every passing year. In 2023 the two-driver team made heads turn by making it to the Cup Series playoffs. A sleek, brand-new racing shop might be all that they need to grab a championship trophy in 2024. Bubba Wallace zooms into this new workspace.

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Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick are the driving forces of 23XI. Wallace came close to the Round of 12 for the first time but ended 2023 on a gloomy note without a victory. But winning in the NASCAR Cup Series is not easy, with a lot of motor technicalities to consider. Bubba is confident that 23XI’s state-of-the-art shop is going to make things way easier.

Bubba Wallace holds new shop in the highest regard

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Wallace has snagged his twin Cup wins under 23XI Racing and expects to deliver loads more in 2024. Reddick has similarly picked up two wins under Hamlin’s team last year. 23XI is stepping up its game to support both of these super-talented drivers.

In a recent interview with ‘Rubbin’ Is Racing’, Bubba Wallace addressed the new 23XI headquarters with respect. “Yeah, Airspeed is what we’re calling it. That’s the name of the shop. Can’t say shop anymore…It’s a fine if I don’t say it…#Airspeed.”

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Featured briefly in the Netflix docuseries ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’, the shop, or rather Airspeed, is stocked up with all the new goods in town. “The industry hasn’t had a new race shop built in 20 years. It’s just state-of-the-art stuff now.”

A grand plan that involves a 120-room hotel and a sprawling 12,000 square feet of office space is still in the making. “We are fully up and running, but we’re still tweaking some things here and there. I would say middle of the season it’ll be full green light…Now that we’re getting our season started, we’re rolling through.”

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The Netflix show affords us a quick sneak peek into the works. Denny Hamlin religiously makes his way to the construction site, trying endlessly to make the plan a success. The crew has swelled to 80 people, befitting the grandeur of Airspeed. Not to mention the bucks spent on the new race shop: $16 million.

Wallace is optimistic about his 2024 prospects.

Bubba Wallace is all set for an ‘aggressive’ season

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Wallace is going into his sixth Cup Series with no small enthusiasm. Before 2018, he scored six wins at the Craftsman Truck Series. But ever since he entered the Cup, his potential has snowballed. This year he is confident to turn around his luckless streak in 2023. 

“I think going into last year, I was like, man, we finished that playoff run with the 45 really, really strong, like ‘it’s going to happen again,’ and I was forcing it too much,” Wallace said. “It’s a fine line. You can’t just sit back and let it come to you because that’s not how the sport works. You have to go out and earn it, but I think just having a different mindset, like I talked about earlier – just being aggressive, being confident.”

Wallace is going to flag off his seventh start at the now-postponed Daytona 500 race. Earlier he had finished second place twice at the Great American Race in 2018 and 2022. On Thursday’s second Duel qualifying race, Wallace led through 21 laps, higher than anyone else.

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Airspeed is sure to motivate Wallace to bring out some dazzling results on the racetrack.

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee

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Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.
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Edited by:

Donna Eva

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