Bubba Wallace comes up short for Homestead-Miami pole award: 'Wanted it'

In the McDonald’s Grimace car, Bubba Wallace looked capable of winning the pole award, but he came up short. Martin Truex Jr. proved to be faster and Grimace will now start P2 on the front row next to the NASCAR regular season champion.

His car was fast. It looked fast with those purple flames, too. However, the 23-car just didn’t have that extra little bit to get past Truex. Bubba Wallace won the pole award at Texas earlier in the playoffs. It looked like he would get another one.

After the qualifying session, Bubba took to Twitter. A little frustration perhaps, but then again, what driver isn’t frustrated after finishing second?

Wanted it pic.twitter.com/krGWgCMiKh

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) October 21, 2023

Bubba Wallace is not in the NASCAR Playoffs anymore. Still, he’s trying to end this season with a victory if at all possible. Of course, Wallace hasn’t raced at Homestead-Miami since 2021 due to his one-race suspension a year ago.

Good news for 23XI Racing, though. Wallace was P2, Tyler Reddick P3. These teammates will be racing together throughout Sunday’s 400 miles. Reddick is seen as one of the favorites, but could the 23 team play spoiler?

This is a track that allows drivers to pick a lane that suits them. We’ve seen some great intermediate track races this year. Will Homestead provide another exciting race like we’ve seen at Kansas, Darlington, and Charlotte?

Bubba Wallace has upped his qualifying game

No matter which way you cut it, Bubba Wallace has taken his qualifying game to the next level. He hasn’t always been great in qualifying. However, in the second half of this season, something has changed.

The last time Wallace failed to make the top-10 in qualifying was seven weeks ago back at Darlington. In the eight playoff races, Wallace now has an average starting position of 7.625. His average start for the season as a whole is 13.2 for what it’s worth.

While qualifying well is good and all, Wallace wants results. While his playoff races start well, they haven’t finished too well. A single top-10 and a top-5 in the postseason run, Wallace knows if he wants to be in the Round of 8 next year he has to finish better.

Bubba Wallace is a “restart monster” according to his boss Denny Hamlin. He’s starting to be a “qualifying monster” if he keeps it up. He has also made strides in his road course and short-track performances. A little confidence goes a long way and having Reddick as his teammate has definitely made a huge difference.