Bubba Wallace moves to 45 for playoffs

Bubba Wallace might have missed the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but he will still help his 23XI Racing team compete for the owner’s championship. On Wednesday, 23XI announced Wallace will move to the #45 Toyota Camry TRD for the rest of the season as that car is locked into the owner playoffs with the injured Kurt Busch. Ty Gibbs, who served as Busch’s injury replacement, in turn shifts to Wallace’s #23.

“After consulting with NASCAR, the competition and ownership teams at 23XI made this decision in the best interest of the entire organisation and for all our employees who helped earn a spot in the playoffs for the Owner’s Championship through their hard work,” said team president Steve Lauletta. “While Ty has done a great job for us in the #45 car, we feel that Bubba’s experience in this car, at the upcoming playoff tracks and his recent momentum will give 23XI the best chance at maximizing our points each weekend. We recognise that this is a unique opportunity in the Cup Series, and we’re grateful to our employees and partners for standing with the team and supporting this decision.”

Busch clinched a playoff spot by winning at Kansas in May, but has not raced since a qualifying crash at Pocono two months later and subsequently withdrew his waiver to compete in the playoffs. Although he will not be able to vie for the driver’s championship, the Kansas victory qualified the #45 car for the owner playoffs.

Gibbs filled in for Busch for the rest of the regular season, but Wallace’s Cup experience justified 23XI’s decision to switch to the #45. Wallace’s crew chief Bootie Barker and crew will also join him at the other 23XI car and vice versa.

“We are two cars but act as one team,” Busch tweeted. “This is another example of teamwork! I support @BubbaWallace and love the leadership I have seen out of him recently. Let’s make a run at the Championship!”

Full-time drivers moving to different cars in their team is rare in NASCAR, and unprecedented in the context of competing for a championship, though similar cases have occurred for the sake of preserving owner points positions. For example, the 2008 Cup season finale saw Team Red Bull switch Brian Vickers to the struggling #84 while Scott Speed moved to Vickers’ #83 to ensure both cars remain in the top thirty-five in points and therefore be guaranteed starting spots to begin 2009.

Wallace is twentieth in points with six top tens, four top fives, and a pole. In Gibbs’ six starts as the #45’s driver, his best finish is tenth at Michigan.

Incidentally, Gibbs is not the first driver named Ty to pilot the #23 for 23XI as Ty Dillon débuted the team at the Daytona Busch Clash in 2021.