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Denny Hamlin Makes Opinion Of Bubba Wallace's Early 2025 Performance Clear

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Mar 24, 2025 8:58 PM ET

Denny Hamlin praised Bubba Wallace's performance in Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 400.

Wallace earned his best result of the 2025 season when placing third in Sunday's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tyler Reddick also placed eighth for 23XI Racing, which Hamlin co-owns alongside basketball legend Michael Jordan.

On his latest Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin gave props to Wallace and his No. 23 Toyota crew chief, Charles Denike.

"The 23 team deserves a shoutout as well," Hamlin said (h/t On3). "Bubba's performance throughout the day, they continue to just get better and better like we've been saying for the last few years. Between Charles leading that team and Bubba, they've just really stepped up this year and are running great.”

Six races into the Cup Series season, Wallace ranks two points above Hamlin for seventh in the standings. He finished ninth at Atlanta and picked up a stage win early in the season.

Although Wallace hasn't won a race since 2022, the 31-year-old could return to the playoffs after missing last year's postseason.

Wallace responded to a "really good" showing in his post-race interview with FOX Sports' Jamie Little.

"We showed up here in Miami and had speed. That's the first box you want to check," Wallace said. "We all know when you’re a racecar driver, you want to show up and be competitive. And we were that."

Wallace commended his team for putting him in a position to compete.

"My pit crew has been on fire," he continued. "Tremendous amount of work has gone in the last five years of this team to get to where we’re at. We're not where we want to be, but we're damn sure competitive each and every stop. They got us up there and gave me a shot, and our Columbia Toyota Camry was just ... game-changer."

Wallace will look to carry that momentum into Martinsville this Sunday.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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