Brake issues plague 23XI Racing in Pocono clunker

LONG POND, Pennsylvania — 23XI Racing had one of its worst races in company history on Sunday, but it was not the fault of anyone on the teams of Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst. 

A triple-serving of brake failures ended the days of Wallace and Herbst and severely plagued the day of Reddick at Pocono Raceway. 

Herbst's No. 35 was the first suffer a failure in Turn 1 on Lap 42. Only twelve laps later, a similar failure bit Wallace, who entered Sunday's race squarely on the playoff bubble. 

"My foot told my brain and my (rear end)," Wallace said. "Just circumstance and coincidence." 

Understandably, Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 team were on edge following the brake failures that bit their teammates. Reddick's team took his Toyota to the garage to make sure no similar failure could happen after Reddick reported a potential problem. While Reddick did finish the race, he did so in 32nd, one lap down. 

The No. 71 Chevrolet of Michael McDowell also suffered a brake failure on Lap 72, but it's 23XI that will be under the microscope following a rash of mechanical failures. On Saturday, Bubba Wallace was unable to make a qualifying lap due to an issue with the starter on his No. 23 car. 

If similar problems continue to crop up, it could cost 23XI much more than a bad day in one of 26 regular season races.