If one was to scour the winner’s list at Kansas Speedway, one would discover that Bubba Wallace is the most recent winner at the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
With the Cup Series venturing back to the Kansas City, Kan., track for the AdventHealth 400 this weekend, the opportunity is rife for Wallace to repeat and add another annotation to his record at the facility.
Last fall, the 23XI Racing driver etched his name in the victory column at the speedway when he scored his second career NASCAR Cup Series triumph. He held off his team co-owner, Denny Hamlin, by a mere second as the pair crossed the finish line.
Notably, Wallace was wheeling car adorned with the No. 45 instead of his usual No. 23, as the team was attempting to chase the owner’s championship with the car that had been driven by Kurt Busch before he suffered a concussion at Pocono Raceway in July.
Despite the change of scenery, the importance of the triumph was not lost on Wallace.
“It was massive for the team,” the 29-year-old recalled. “To come back and seal the deal in the 45 was just special for our team and being so new. That was our second year and we were making the most of it.”
Earlier that year, during the series’ spring visit to the speedway, Busch also took the No. 45 to victory lane — allowing 23XI Racing to sweep the Kansas races in only their second year of operation.
Tyler Reddick, the new driver of the No. 45, and Wallace will lead the foray for 23XI Racing on Sunday, as the team looks to extend their dominant streak in “The Sunflower State.”
Should Reddick win the race, NASCAR history could be made, as no car number has won three consecutive races at a single track with three different drivers.
But while Reddick pursues a spot in the series record books with the No. 45, Wallace’s worries are focused on the No. 23. The early stretch of the season has proved to be a slight struggle for the No. 23 crew, as Wallace continues to chase his first win of the year.
In the last 11 races, he has collected two top-10s, with his best finish being fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5. His most recent result was 12th at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
Coming back to Kansas, Wallace has a hunch that momentum from the team’s last performance at the track will carry over to help steer its efforts and “get our ship headed in the right way.” However, the seven-year veteran of the Cup Series also realizes the past is the past, and every victory must be earned.
“Nothing is ever given to you — it doesn’t matter who won here last year or last race,” Wallace said. “It’s good to be who everyone talks about on different occasions, for example, speedways and stuff. Just have to keep it going.”
The No. 23 finished 17th during qualifying on Saturday, while Reddick put the No. 45 in fifth.
The Cup Series field will take the green at 3 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.