The garage area at Bristol Motor Speedway buzzed with activity during practice, but what caught my attention wasn’t the roar of engines or the smell of burning rubber. It was watching Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick huddled together, sharing data and feedback like two veterans who’ve cracked the code on teamwork. These 23XI Racing teammates have something special brewing, and they’re not keeping it a secret. In fact, they’re pretty open about how much they lean on each other when the pressure cranks up during playoff season.
What makes 23XI Racing different from other teams? According to Reddick, it all starts with how similar their car setups are from the moment they roll off the hauler. “We all show up to the racetrack very, very close, setup-wise to one another,” Reddick explained during a recent team video. “
And if I’m having an off practice, or Bubba is, or Riley is, and I’m just like, man, I’m not comfortable doing this with my car, I’m able to talk to Bubba, Riley, look at the data, look at the information we have, and see how they’re doing it.”That level of trust and collaboration doesn’t happen overnight. It takes months of working together, sharing frustrations, and celebrating breakthroughs. When you watch these guys interact, you can see the genuine respect they have for each other’s abilities.
Wallace brings his own perspective to the partnership, and he’s not shy about calling out his teammate’s quirks. “Yeah, nine times out of ten, Tyler’s in the way in practice,” Wallace said with that trademark grin. “But he usually finds his way by the end of the weekend. So it’s not where he starts, it’s where he finishes.”
The beauty of what 23XI Racing has built becomes crystal clear when you understand how they use practice sessions. Most teams guard their data like state secrets, but Wallace, Reddick, and rookie Riley Herbst operate more like an open book. During practice groups, two or three of them typically run together, which means they’re constantly gathering intel that benefits the entire team.
That information gets passed along to whoever’s running in a different group, creating this continuous feedback loop that keeps everyone sharp.”With what Tyler said, showing very similar, makes things a little bit easier on weekends that we hit it,” Wallace added, and you could hear the confidence in his voice when he talked about their system.
This approach has real consequences when it comes to playoff racing. Every point matters, every position counts, and having teammates who can help you find that extra tenth of a second could be the difference between advancing to the next round or packing up early.
Let’s talk numbers for a minute, because Wallace’s 2024 campaign tells quite a story. One win, four top-five finishes, and twelve top-tens with an average finish of 18.59 might not jump off the page, but that win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway sure does. When Wallace crossed the finish line at the Brickyard 400 in July, he didn’t just win a race.
He made history as the first Black driver to win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. The emotion in victory lane was raw and real, and you could see what that moment meant not just to him, but to everyone watching. That victory punched his playoff ticket and gave him the confidence boost every driver needs heading into the postseason. Sometimes one win can change everything about how a driver approaches the biggest races of the year.
While Wallace grabbed headlines with his historic win, Reddick has been the picture of consistency for 23XI Racing. One pole position, five top-fives, nine top-tens, and 153 laps led through 26 races show a driver who knows how to be competitive week after week. What’s interesting about Reddick is his first winless season in the playoffs since 2021, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not dangerous.
Sometimes the most consistent drivers are the ones who surprise everyone when it matters most. His ability to work with Wallace and share information has created a dynamic where both drivers are pushing each other to improve. That kind of internal competition, when it’s healthy, usually produces results when the stakes are highest.
Beyond all the technical talk and data sharing, these teammates genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Earlier this year, Wallace shared some hilarious outtakes from their McDonald’s promotional shoots, where both drivers struggled to get their lines right. The clip showed them repeatedly saying “onions” instead of “pickles,” leading to multiple failed takes and plenty of laughter.
Wallace’s response was perfect: “Someone please media train Tyler Reddick.”Those moments matter more than people realize. When drivers can laugh together, joke around, and keep things light despite the pressure, it usually translates into better communication when things get serious on race day.
The expansion to three cars with Riley Herbst joining the team has created even more opportunities for data sharing and collaboration. Having three perspectives instead of two means more chances to find speed and solve problems when they arise.Of course, the ongoing legal battles with NASCAR over charter agreements have created some uncertainty, but these drivers seem focused on what they can control about their performance on the track.
What Wallace and Reddick have built at 23XI Racing represents something special in NASCAR. It’s a reminder that while racing is an individual sport, the best teams figure out how to make everyone faster through collaboration and trust. As the playoffs continue, keep an eye on how these teammates support each other. Their mutual dependency might just be the secret weapon that carries one or both of them deeper into the championship hunt than anyone expected.
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