Ty Gibbs or Bubba Wallace? Denny Hamlin reveals whom he’d “push” for the win if he has a choice at Daytona

Sitting in the 2023 playoffs comfortably himself, Denny Hamlin has 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace as well as teammate Ty Gibbs in need of good finishes this weekend. Both drivers sit right on the cusp of making it into the top 16 drivers who get to advance into the postseason, based on how they perform during this Sunday's final regular season race.

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be a tale of two halves going in. One half will see playoff hopefuls throw caution to the wind in a last-ditch attempt to qualify. The other half of the drivers will be the ones helping their respective teammates out, such as Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, who are already confirmed in the playoffs.

The likes of Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suarez are the few who can play both ways, by either getting in on points alone or taking a trip to victory lane. While Denny Hamlin is teammates with Ty Gibbs, he is also co-owner of 23XI Racing, which fields Wallace's #23 Toyota Camry TRD.

If both Wallace and Ty were to find themselves fighting for the win on the last lap, here's who Denny said he would side with:

"I kind of stated from the very beginning that the #11 car always comes first. I would never compromise any of my on-track position for the race team I own. It's important to be a good leader for the team I own, it's also important to be a good teammate. I'm going to work with both of them equally. But right now if I had to choose, they're side by side coming to the line, I'd probably lean to the 23's side." - via Bob Pockrass

Bubba Wallace currently sits in P14 on the points standings table, with 590 points to his name. The 23XI Racing driver currently sits 32 points ahead of Ty Gibbs in P16.

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Bubba Wallace making the playoffs could bring a huge morale boost for 23XI Racing

Currently contending for his first-ever appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Bubba Wallace recently spoke about how making the cut would affect him and his team. 23XI Racing, especially the #23 team saw various highs and lows last year. A genuine appearance in the playoffs could mean a huge morale boost for the team.

Wallace elaborated on the same in an interview and said:

"If we can lock ourselves in, I think it would be a massive pat on the back to everybody involved in this program and 23XI showing their commitment to the sport." - via Bob Pockrass

Watch Bubba Wallace try and seal his spot in the 2023 playoffs this Sunday in Daytona.