Bubba Wallace charges back to finish seventh at Texas after mid-race crash

Bubba Wallace was as far down as 30th in the running order at points during Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race, but the 23XI Racing driver clawed his way back into seventh after a few late restarts. 

After qualifying 10th, finishing 10th in Stage One and finishing second in Stage Two, Wallace was cycled back through the field after a spin with Chase Briscoe, sending Wallace back to 30th on the ensuing restart. 

Wallace could only climb to around 20th on green flag runs, but when the final few restarts occurred, he found himself running inside the top ten when the checkered flag flew. 

Wallace's comeback run at Texas shows how far both driver and team have come in their fourth year together because if this had been 2021 or 2022, Wallace likely would have caved in on himself and finished 25th. However, he showed towards the back end of last year and so far this season that he and the No. 23 team no longer give up on themselves when they get behind the eight ball during races. 

With NASCAR Cup Series races being so long and grueling, a driver or team giving up on themselves can mire them back in the pack for the rest of the race. Instead, Wallace and his team fought through the adversity they faced and were opportunistic when presented with a chance to get some track position. 

Wallace's seventh-place finish is the fourth top 10 finish for the 30-year-old driver in 2024 and headed to one of his best tracks in Talladega, he sits 11th in the points standings, 39 points above the playoff cutline through nine races. 

While Wallace couldn't avenge his 2023 Texas defeat on Sunday, he'll have a chance to redeem himself on Sunday at Talladega after a bad block last spring sent him crashing on the final lap.