Denny Hamlin heaps big praise on Bubba Wallace - “It was probably the best road course race he’s driven”

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace has earned plaudits from his bossman Denny Hamlin following his valiant efforts at Charlotte Roval last weekend. Wallace, who has historically not run well on road courses, put in stellar efforts throughout the weekend of the Round-of-12 elimination race.

Entering the weekend nine points below the cutline, the #23 Toyota driver hit the ground running. He topped the charts in the practice session and went on to qualify fourth for the race, behind his teammate Tyler Reddick.

On Sunday, Bubba Wallace ran upfront for most of the race, finishing second and seventh in the two stages. An unfortunate incident in the final stage halted his charge through the field as he was classified 16th at the end of the race.

His stunning performance at the Roval didn't go unnoticed as Denny Hamlin praised Wallace in the latest episode of Actions Detrimental.

"Let me a Homer here, He [Bubba] did a phenomenal job this weekend," Hamlin said. "Qualified up front, stage points, both stages - which is hard by the way because you're going to have to come back to the front - and drove back up to 16th. So I thought it was one of the... probably the best road course race that he's driven."

The 23XI Racing co-owner further praised Wallace's maturity, adding:

"Um just came up short, Just not having any playoff points going into the playoffs. It was always going to be stacked against him every round he started. But I think, Man the maturity he showed during that weekend, the great interview he had after the race, just being very matter-of-fact, respectful and very humble."

"Great job by Bubba and that team, even though they are not moving on," he continued further.

For many years, road courses have been Bubba Wallace's Achilles heel. This season he finished 37th, 17th, 31st, and 18th on such tracks before taking a step up at Watkins Glen where he finished 12th and was a front-runner at the Roval.

Wallace was also satisfied with his performance as he capped off his first playoff run.

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Bubba Wallace speaks out on defying critics and self-improvement

Following the heartbreak at Charlotte Roval, Bubba Wallace addressed his growth on and off the track. He also spoke about #23 team's steady progress over the season, which helped them reach the second round of the playoffs.

"We weren’t supposed to be here, according to a lot of people. But we proved them wrong and proved a lot of people in the garage wrong that you can’t really count on the 23 in a road course race, right. That’s cool to say," Wallace said post race, via Sportsnaut.

He added:

"Ten years ago, I’d be ready to punch something. I guess that’s maturing and growing up … and accepting the fate – it wasn’t meant to be."

This weekend NASCAR will be heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the site where Bubba Wallace's actions landed him a one-race suspension a year ago.