Bubba Wallace was in a great mood heading into the New Hampshire weekend. Even though he struggled at Bristol, solid finishes at Darlington and Gateway kept him above the cutoff line, and he even revealed the funny exchange he had with Shane van Gisbergen before the USA Today 301.

But Wallace and his teammate, Tyler Reddick, did not leave New Hampshire in high spirits, and none tried to hide their disappointment post-race.

Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick Vent After 23XI’s Playoff Disappointment at Loudon

On Sunday night, Wallace and 23XI Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway didn’t go as planned. After a baffling race performance, the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned outfit was left wondering what went wrong.

Reddick crossed the line in P21 and Riley Herbst in P22, but Wallace felt the sting most, finishing a frustrating P26. It was a disappointing start for Reddick and Wallace in the Round of 12, who are still alive in the postseason title race.

Wallace currently sits 12th in the playoff standings, 27 points behind the all-important cutoff line. It was a bitter blow for the Brickyard 400 winner, who had aimed for a much better outcome.

Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick didn’t sugarcoat it; Sunday’s race at New Hampshire was a disappointment for both 23XI Racing Playoff-contending teams. They’re now well below the cutline, but they head to Kansas, where 23XI has scored 3 wins in the past: https://t.co/3GYbhxIvSU

— TobyChristie.com (@TobyChristieCom) September 22, 2025

“Just a miss all around, really,” a dejected Wallace said after the race. “We couldn’t really seem to get things going. Our best run lasted for five laps, the caution came out, and then it was just right back to no good.”

“I hate it,” he continued. “I felt really optimistic and marched forward at the start, and it just never really went anywhere. We kind of plateaued (on) Lap 5, and that was it. I hate that.”

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Reddick, meanwhile, ran into brake problems early in Sunday’s race. He had a tough time controlling his machine after the issues appeared. In the end, he went on damage control mode, trying to salvage as much as possible from a tough day.

“I didn’t expect that — that’s for sure,” the 2024 regular season champion said. “The way the race started, I thought we were going to be able to run in the top 10 all day, but between the brake issues we had, it just got away [quickly].

“The balance went away, and then (the) next thing you know, we were trying to battle for 20th,” Reddick added. “Just (a) terrible day.”

Reddick is a step above Wallace in the Cup Series standings, but that still puts him in a tough spot in the playoff picture. He has a 23-point deficit to make up to return to the safe zone, and he only has two more races to make amends.

“Yeah, there’s just a lot of question marks, honestly. Places we have had speed at, we don’t bring speed,” Reddick acknowledged the challenge. “That’s been one of them for us. Yeah, we need something special to happen. I’m hoping we find the answer.”

Wallace admitted he was confused by the team’s performance at New Hampshire, but stressed there’s no time to lament — the playoffs won’t wait.

“It’s just a head scratcher. I told our team we’re way better than that. We know it. As much of a gut punch as this one is, we’ll move on. This is what we’ve got to do,” the Alabama man said.

The Cup Series field heads to Kansas next, where 23XI has a good record. Reddick and Wallace have both won there in recent years, so they will feel they can bounce back at the 1.5-miler next weekend.