Bubba Wallace has a career best start. Is this hard -to -grasp third victory soon?

HomeSead, Florida – Bubba Wallace might have had an otherwise promising day destroyed in recent years. He would probably have scolded the radio over a longer period of time, lost the focus and the things snowball.

But this is another Wallace who spent the low season to devote himself to a more focused setting in the car to return to the Victory Lane for the first time since 2022. This change pays off on the route and drives him to the best start of his eight-year career as a Nascar Cup series.

On Sunday, during the race on the HomeSead Miami Speedway, the new mentality of Wallace showed itself in two reactions.

First, the contact with Noah Gragson came in the middle of the race during a restart. The contact was not Wallace’s fault, although the fault is irrelevant. What matters is that Wallace’s car crashed into it from the wall. And although the damage has been minimal in the past, this could have led to a downward spiral.

This was not the case on Sunday. Wallace made a short remark about the radio, then put his frustration aside and pushed forward. In the end he led 56 laps and took third place behind the racing winner Kyle Larson and second place Alex Bowman.

“When I got the fence, I was mad at half a corner,” said Wallace. “Then it was, ‘Ok. It is still a long way to group and concentrate again, and I have to think about the winners we have in this team.’ It motivates you to drive harder in a methodical way.

After the race, when Wallace was on the pit road, he showed another example of the progress he made in order to be a consistently competitive driver.

It was common for Wallace to emit a missed opportunity or a potential profit that slips away. But there was nothing on Sunday. He did not accuse himself or didn’t wonder what he could have done differently. Instead, the 31-year satisfaction found to put together his most complete race of the season with him to the end. He approaches his third career cup victory. Progress is obvious. Only Alex Bowman had a higher average running position than Wallace on Sunday.

“Kansas (in September 2022) I opened and got this victory, my last,” said Wallace. “I look at Talladega (in April 2023) when I was the white (flag) and blocked (Ryan) Blaney and destroyed. Otherwise I have never been to give away a race.

Bubba Wallace led 56 laps and ended the homeestead the third Sunday, his best result since his victory at Kansas in September 2022 (James Gilbert / Getty Images)

His prospects are not the only thing that is new to Wallace in 2025. He also has a new crew leader in Charles Denike, who took over Team No. 23 of 23xi and prompted a team to start a restart to convey more structure and attention to detail.

Denike, former engineering officer in the US Army, has a proven track record. In his previous role as crew leader for Christian Eckes in the Truck series, the duo has won eight times in the past two years and almost won the 2024 championship.

23xi everything went out to sign Denike and consider him an emerging star in the garage and as an ideal person in order to exploit Wallace’s full potential. With six races it seems to be a clever step.

Team No. 23 has often disabled a lack of stage points. But when he went into the homeestead, Wallace deserved the second most common season this season, and he took up six more on Sunday.

The additional points have contributed to compensating for the total runs that do not indicate how well the team was handled, since partial errors at Phoenix and Wallace were collected in an accident that was not his fault in Las Vegas. That is why Wallace will be seventh place in the overall ranking next week at the race of the next week on Martinsville Speedway – the highest that it was depending on the six races.

With the exception of the race on road traffic on the Circuit of the Americas, Team No. 23 did not deliberately pursue the stage points. You deserve them because of their performance.

“It was very refreshing that the group can earn these points by running directly to the earnings,” said Denike.

Six races in a regular season with 26 breeds are not enough evidence to indicate that the turnaround will stick, and Wallace has not caught his lengthy winning streak either. But Denike and Team No. 23 are on an upward railway and a victory could come. In a season in which Wallace is supposed to qualify for the playoffs, a quick start was exactly what it needed.

“One of our big goals was only five races without being on points without bringing ourselves to a position in which we have to change the way we want to work weekly,” said Denike.

Ultimately, whether Wallace wins or not, will define his season. Team colleague Tyler Reddick has won a total of five races in the past two years, a productivity level that is the current measurement rod in the organization.

“You are certainly the scale for victories at 23xi. I am only proud that we are in this conversation,” said Denike about Reddicks No. 45 team, which has not yet won this season and is only three places in the overall ranking.

Homestead may not end with Wallace in Victory Lane, but it felt like a statement. That the 85-race victory that he drives no longer increases. And it was so positive that Wallace decided to get into the spotlight.

“It is just good to get here with a little weight from your shoulders and a good dot day,” said Wallace. “I really believe in this team and in the direction we go and are on the front. I am fed up with talking about the 45 (team) every week. Talk a little about the 23 (team).”

(Bubba Wallace Topto leads the pack during the race on Sunday on the HomeSead-Mami Speedway: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)