Bubba Wallace stood next to his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota on the frontstretch of Daytona International Speedway with his hands on his hips and a blank stare on his face. He didn’t move, didn’t talk to anyone for a few minutes.
He looked devastated. And maybe a bit conflicted. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, won the 2026 Daytona 500 and made team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin champions again. But after an impressive day, Wallace and the No. 23 team fell short and finished 10th after leading 40 of the race’s 200 laps — by far the most of any other driver Sunday.
“Man, I don’t know what to say,” Wallace told FOX Sports’ Regan Smith on pit road after the race.
“Hats off to the [No.] 45 group,” he continued, “I don’t want my emotions to take away from the monumental day they just accomplished. Happy birthday, MJ. That’s a massive birthday present.”
‘To come up short sucks’ – Bubba Wallace shared emotions after finishing 10th at Dayton 500
[MJ ON DAYTONA WIN: ‘Feels Like I Won a Championship’]
A top-10 Daytona 500 finish is a strong result, especially when multiple wrecks impacted huge chunks of the field. But Wallace is a talented superspeedway racer, and he’s been so close to winning the iconic NASCAR Cup Series season-opening race but hasn’t taken the checkered flag.
In 18 career starts at Daytona, Wallace has earned five top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes, including Sunday evening. In the Daytona 500, he has three top-5 finishes and has been the runner-up twice (2018, 2022).
“I thought this was our week,” Wallace continued. “The best 500 I’ve ever had, and [to] come up short, sucks. But couldn’t be more proud of the team.
“… Led a lot of laps, lap leader, I believe. It was a good day for us, but damn. Try again next year.”
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