Amid antitrust hearings and the storm around them in the NASCAR community in 2025, whenever Bubba Wallace or teammate Tyler Reddick faced questions on the lawsuit and whether it moved the needle, the duo kept tight-lipped and stuck to the same line.
Mostly, they brushed it off, calling for the reporters to talk to 23XI owner Denny Hamlin. Wallace had made it clear that his eyes were solely on winning on the tracks. But now that the dust has settled, Wallace has opened up about the weight lifting.
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Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about last year and the cloud that hung over the garage, Wallace said, “I would say, for me, when I was asked about it in season last year, I kept saying, I don’t care, I don’t care.
“I did my hardest to really not care so I could focus on driving,” he added. “And I felt like I did an okay job at that. But it ramped up in the offseason. And so my attention span was all focused on that. And I felt the pressure more. And so finally to see us come out on the other side, and I think for the sport come out in a much better way moving forward.”
In fact, Wallacenow tips his headdress to the people at 23XI Racing and buys into the path they are on. He said he feels proud to work with a group pushing the sport to turn a page. “So this is a massive win for all of us. And it’ll take some time to figure out where the direction is on that. But it’s been nice to not get asked that question all the time,” Wallace admitted.
With the case in the backseat, Wallace can speak his mind. Before, he had to walk on eggshells and watch every word. To avoid spilling anything accidentally, he leaned on“I don’t care,” even though it sat in the back of many minds. But now the noise has faded and the road looks clear, which is why he felt relieved at talking freely, saying, “It’s nice to be able to talk about freely. We’re always having to watch what we say.”
Meanwhile, Reddick said in a recent chat that nothing really changed within the camp after the settlement. Still, the outcome threw both drivers a lifeline. Had 23XI lost its antitrust fight with NASCAR, Reddick and Wallace could have lost spots on the grid and faced deals going up in smoke.
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Without charters, the No. 23 and No. 45 would have become open entries, meaning they would have had to race their way in each week. If more than 40 cars showed up, one or more could have been left on the outside looking in.
As open teams, they would have taken home less from the purse and a thinner slice of other payouts than charter teams, cutting into paychecks and putting the operation on thin ice.
On a larger scale, had the case gone the other way, owner Michael Jordan might have pulled the plug, as he had said he would step away if the push for charters fell short. That could have left both drivers without a seat and staring at a fork in the road. It was a tightrope all around, even as they kept a poker face and did not let it spill onto the track.
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