“We’re firing on all cylinders” - Bubba Wallace Jr. talks about stepping up and 'being a leader' for 23XI Racing

Ahead of his upcoming home race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace Jr. seems to be in good spirits. The #23 Toyota Camry TRD driver finished the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series short track swing with a top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday (April 16), helping him and the team carry some momentum into the upcoming weekend.

Wallace Jr. spoke about how he and the #23 crew at the team managed to rebound into a P9 finish at the 0.5-mile-long track after encountering initial setbacks.

Stage 2 of the NOCO 400 saw the Mobile, Alabama native receive a speeding penalty on pit road, which forced him to pass through it once again, hindering his progress during the 400-lap-long race.

Bubba Wallace Jr. and the #23 crew, however, managed to capitalize on a late caution flag for a stray wheel on the racing surface, allowing them to jump ahead of the field.

Electing to go long on his tire strategy, Wallace Jr. ultimately clinched his P9 finish at the end. The 29-year-old also elaborated on how he has been trying to step up his game at 23XI Racing, saying:

"We're firing on all cylinders, you know, maybe misfiring here and there. I've tried to step up to be a leader these last three weeks, finishing races not crashing out of lap 5. We got a massive hole to climb out of and there's no better group that I would rather do it with. We're hungry, we're ready."

Watch Bubba Wallace Jr. compete in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 3:00 pm ET on FS1.

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Denny Hamlin elaborates on contact between him and Bubba Wallace Jr. at Martinsville Speedway

The 400-lap-long NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway saw 23XI Racing's co-owner Denny Hamlin and driver Bubba Wallace Jr. get quite comfortable on the track with each other.

The driver-owner duo were seen battling and using each other's bumpers during last Sunday's race as Hamlin tried to lap Wallace Jr., who tried to stay on the lead lap.

Denny Hamlin elaborated on the whole scenario on his podcast Actions Detrimental after the race and said:

"I was behind Bubba for a really long time, I'm getting frustrated. I gotta dive in here, and when I dove in he came down, we hit and I came up the track. For four straight laps he had my rear tires off the racetrack."

Watch Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace Jr. take on each other once again at Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday.