Denny Hamlin questions Bubba Wallace’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin (In Circle), and Joey Logano (Via IMAGO)
The 23XI Racing driver entered the 2024 season with the goal of continuing his impressive performance from the previous year and securing a spot in the playoffs once again. However, this season has been inconsistent for him, resembling a roller coaster with ups and downs.
After a disappointing Did Not Finish (DNF) at New Hampshire this Sunday, Bubba Wallace now finds himself outside the playoff bubble. He is currently 13 points behind the cutoff line, with a two-time Cup champion occupying the 16th position. Now, the co-owner of 23XI Racing shares his opinion on the likelihood of his driver making it out of the regular season.
Cup points grid (8 races remaining): Larson-3v, Hamlin-3v, Bell-3v, Byron-3v, Elliott-1v, Reddick-1v, Blaney-1v, Keselowski-1v, Suarez-1v, Cindric-1v, Truex +145, Chastain +93, Gibbs +82, Bowman +59, Buescher +50, Logano +13, Wallace -13, Briscoe -25, Busch -45 pic.twitter.com/DkcIMOfzyc
He emphasized that it will not be easy for Wallace to secure a playoff spot based solely on points, even though Logano has not had any exceptional performances this season. Hamlin stated that it would be extremely challenging for the driver of the No. 23 Toyota Camry to consistently outperform the former champion in all remaining races of the 2024 regular season.
In a previous discussion about Wallace’s chances of gaining a points advantage, Hamlin admitted that there would be another driver outside the top 16 who would win a race and knock his driver out of the top 17. He believes it could be RFK Racing.
If Bubba Wallace wants to qualify for the playoffs in the 2024 season, he will need to secure a victory in a race, as relying on points like he did in 2023 seems to be a significant challenge. It will be interesting to see how the remaining eight races of the season will unfold for the Toyota driver.
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