DARLINGTON, S.C.: Bubba Wallace gave all he had to give at Darlington Raceway, but it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Playoffs.
Wallace won the pole. He led 37 laps—a career-best at the Track too Tough to Tame. He scored points in both stages.
If a seven-car wreck with 23 laps remaining in the regular season finale wasn’t enough to damage the No. 23 Toyota and dash any hope Wallace had of earning a transfer spot, Chase Briscoe coming from 104 points outside of Playoff standings to win on Sunday delivered the final blow.
“We just were back and forth on our U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry,” Wallace said. “We were a little too loose, a little too tight. And the caution a couple of laps on tires where we stayed out, I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not.
“I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Hats off to the 14 (Chase Briscoe). I thought I did something yesterday, they one-upped us and showed up when it was game time, so that’s pretty bad-ass so congrats to them.”
Wallace led the first 34 laps before green-flag pit stops. Kyle Larson, who led a race-high 263 laps, took the point for the first time on Lap 46. He cycled back to the lead after the second round of pit stops to win Stage 1—his eighth of the season. Wallace finished second and reported to the team that his tires “went away” around Lap 40.
He restarted third for Stage 2 on Lap 122. Depending on track position, Wallace and Chris Buescher bounced around the Playoff bubble—one in and one out. Buescher finished 10th in Stage 1, but picked up zero points in Stage. Wallace continued to have solid pit stops and finished ninth in the second stage.
With Larson dominating and Briscoe on his tail, Wallace maintained a safe presence in the top 10 until Lap 344 when Josh Berry stuffed it three-wide between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs and knocked the No. 54 Toyota into the wall. William Byron had nowhere to go and plowed into the melee and Wallace was collected in the chain reaction. Two laps earlier, Briscoe had seized the lead from Ross Chastain on the restart.
While Briscoe held serve for his first Cup win at Darlington, Wallace soldiered home to a 16th-place result, 27 points outside the Playoffs.
“Man, just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year,” Wallace said. “I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort for all of us on the 23 car. Best of luck to the 45 (Tyler Reddick) and hopefully a Toyota wins.”
For 23XI team owner Denny Hamlin, the evening was bittersweet. While Wallace suffered defeat, his teammate Tyler Reddick won the regular season title and the 15 bonus that accompany the prize.
“These things certainly happen,” Hamlin said. “When you have these win-and-you’re-in you’re going to have to put yourself in the top 10 in points if you’re not going to win to give yourself a shot.
“They still had a great year. They’ve got some good momentum. They’re running well. Just take these last 10 and finish 17th.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
