A Roller Coaster Ride- How the 2022 season so far has been for 23X1 Racing drivers in NASCAR Cup Series
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Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch
The 2022 season has been so far an unpredictable ride for the brainchild of NBA legend Michael Jordon and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, the 23X1 Racing. Going into its second season the team that fields the Toyota Camry has witnessed both ends of the racing spectrum as they finished as both the fastest and among the weakest cars of the season with the reliability of the machine and pit stop mishaps being their constant companion.
The team fielded their second car after an underwhelming season last time, as they were only able to secure a solo win as Bubba Wallace topped the chart in Talledega, as they were given the permission to Charter the No:45 team. NASCAR veteran and former Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch was signed as the second driver for the team, with two objectives in hand. The first one is to help the team to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with and to provide valuable guidance to their young driver Bubba Wallace.
The season so far has been a mixed pack of disappointments for the team as they were only able to secure a single win this year, whereas Trackhouse Racing a team that came into NASCAR same time last year as 23X1 already had 3 wins this season. The Wallace-Busch combination hasn’t been a solid hit for the team and the inexperience of the crew, working together as a team, that is assigned to the drivers has been something to worry about for the team.
How is the NASCAR Cup 2022 season so far prayed out for Bubba Wallace?
Bubba Wallace has been one of the faces of NASCAR and its path to positive changes for the last couple of years. The only full-time African-American driver of the grid has been a voice of change for the sport and has proven himself to be a capable driver. The underwhelming 2021 season with the then-new team 23X1 was considered a rookie season for the team as they were expected to go big with the No:23 Camry of Wallace. But it hasn’t been the case for the youngster as things have been going south for him for a long time now.
Bad luck, Mistakes, and Pit Stop mishaps, these three words perfectly summarise how the 2022 season so far has been for the No:23 team. Bubba Wallace who started the season with an impressive P2 finish in Daytona 500, the second one in his career, which raised the expectations fans had of the driver. But all of that was proven wrong a he was able to showcase his pace and ability just once in the 16 races that followed, including the All-Star race.
Bubba Wallace’s second-best run of the season came in Kansas where his run towards a sure odium was cut short by two pit stop mishaps. Though Wallace was able to showcase some pace in both Talledega and Atlanta he was crashed out towards the end of t race which hurt his chances big time. Bubba Wallace is yet to secure a playoff spot which he only can secure with a win in any of the coming races while his veteran teammate has already done so. To achieve this feat a couple of perfect or mistakes-less runs by both the driver and the team are in high demand for 23X1.
Also read: Impressive: How the 2022 season so far has been for Trackhouse Racing divers in NASCAR Cup Series
How is the NASCAR Cup 2022 season so far prayed out for Kurt Busch?
Contrary to his teammate veteran Kurt Busch, though isn’t a genuine contender for the championship, has already booked his place in this year’s playoff if things favor him in the series for the coming races. The 2004 Cup series champion who has raced for most of the major teams and all of the manufacturers in the sports secured his spot in the cup playoff after winning the 2022 Kansas Cup race just before the All-Star race weekend.
Kurt Busch made his move to 23X1 at the beginning of the season after he was let go by CGR as they sold their NASCAR shares to Trackhouse. Busch’s debut for the team has been a disappointing one as he exited early in Daytona but since then has proven himself to be a top-quality driver with front raw finishes if his No:45 didn’t give up on him or him getting to a crash. Kurt Busch who entered the 2021 Mid-Season break with just 3 Top 10 this year has 6 top 10’s of which four are top finishes along with his 4 top 20 finishes.
But at the same time, the veterans have also witnessed some pure disappointments as he finished outside the top 25 six times this season, which is uncharacteristic for a driver of his quality. Kurt Busch and his team should be giving more focus to their car as there exist a definite need of making the car more reliable and the crew more efficient.
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Justin P Joy
(4970 Articles Published)