Bubba Wallace Jr. feels 2023 NASCAR Cup Series will be 'hopefully our best year yet'

Bubba Wallace Jr., the driver of #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, is in a good frame of mind before the start of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023.

His continued improvement in performance over the last two years has led to genuine optimism, proving that last year was no fluke and he will be looking forward to improving in his third year at 23XI Racing.

Ahead of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum last week, Wallace Jr. said that he is excited for the 2023 NASCAR season because of the momentum his team gained during the end of the 2022 season. He also feels that the changes his #23 Toyota team made during the off-season are shaping up to be hopefully the best season yet.

Wallace Jr. said:

“I would say this is the most excited I am for a season to start just because the momentum we were on last year. All the changes that we’ve made in the offseason, it’s shaping up to be hopefully our best year yet."

"We’ve been able to win the last two seasons but at the wrong time. We need to win before the playoffs, get in the playoffs and make a good playoff run which I think our team is totally capable of doing now.”

He continued:

“We have the right people in place. Our mentality is there, our work efforts are there. So I just have to do my job and go out and start this year off right.”

Bubba Wallace Jr. enters the 2023 season with his strongest season yet, earning a win during the playoff race at Kansas Speedway and a career-high five top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes. The #23 driver also gained playoff experience competing for an owners’ championship after Kurt Busch was ruled out due to injury.

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Bubba Wallace Jr. looked solid before falling back after half-time during Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

Bubba Wallace Jr.’s performance during the first on-track action of the 2023 season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum largely confirmed his confidence. Driving the #23 Toyota, Bubba Wallace Jr. led 40 laps during the 150-lap long Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, second-most behind Ryan Preece’s 43 laps led, and had a strong chance of leaving with a podium finish.

However, contact from Austin Dillon with seven remaining sent Wallace Jr. back into the Turn 2 SAFER barrier, finishing the race in 22nd place. But his performance was much more impressive compared to his race result.

Catch Bubba Wallace Jr. at the historic Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023.