"We got to go beat Joey Logano" - Denny Hamlin declares on Bubba Wallace's playoff push for 23XI

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin has urged Bubba Wallace to push for a playoff position after the #23 Toyota driver dropped out of the playoff picture following the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

After 18 rounds in the regular season, Wallace is in the playoff bubble alongside two NASCAR champions, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Chase Briscoe. Chris Buescher and Logano currently hold the final two playoff spots, with advantages of 50 and 13 points above the cutline, respectively. Wallace trails by 13 points, while Briscoe and Busch are 25 and 45 points adrift, respectively.

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin evaluated Wallace's playoff scenario and urged the #23 Toyota team to challenge Logano for the final playoff spot. Hamlin also emphasized the unpredictable nature of the bubble, noting that unexpected winners could further worsen their chances.

"You always have to count on one more freak winner that’s outside the cut, in which case, then Buescher becomes the next guy above the cut line. He’s substantially ahead of Logano and Bubba. That’s where you have to look at it and say okay, we have to not get unlucky first and then we got to go beat Joey for the next seven/eight weeks," he said on Actions Detrimental podcast [at 21:40]

Denny Hamlin admitted that beating the two-time NASCAR Cup champion, Joey Logano, is not an easy task, but stressed the team's need for consistency or a race victory in the upcoming weeks.

"That’s not going to be easy. The way Logano’s been running, it’s not crazy and unthinkable, but you’re going to have to be consistently better than him over the next seven/eight weeks, and that will be a tough task." he added.

Bubba Wallace kicked off his 2024 campaign strong with two top-five finishes. However, he has only managed one additional top-five and two other top-10 results since then.

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Denny Hamlin unhappy with Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing's performance

Tyler Reddick secured his spot in the 2024 playoffs with a win at Talladega but Bubba Wallace is still working to secure his playoff berth. Wallace's recent form has raised uncertainty, with no top-10 results in the last five races.

Denny Hamlin acknowledged the team's recent shortcomings and hoped they could glean some insights from Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Certainly, I'm not overly joyed with the performance and speed at 23XI right now. There's definitely some JGR cars that were strong in the dry. And just for whatever reason they [23XI] are not showing the speed they were early in the season. They are working on it trying to figure it out," Hamlin said on his podcast [at 20:45]

The 23XI co-owner concluded by affirming that Bubba Wallace and the team deserved the position in the standings but emphasized that there are plenty of weeks to make the playoffs.

"Frankly, they just haven't had the results to warrant anything but the position they are in."

The #23 Team has eight weeks to enter the postseason, with the regular season ending at Darlington Raceway.