You ever feel like you’re so close to something big you can taste it, but it keeps slipping away? That’s where Bubba Wallace is right now. The 23XI Racing driver rolled into Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22, 2025, with a fire under him and for good reason. He’s been fast all season, topping charts and turning heads, but the wins? They’re still out of reach. Five races into 2025, and the speed’s there, no question. Yet, as he sat quickest in practice at Homestead, you could hear it in his voice that he’s done with “almost.”
The buzz around Bubba’s been building. He declared his arrival at the Homestead joking with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney before practice, shouting, “The gang’s here!”—a nod to the crew hyping him up. And after Reddick’s win last year, and Bubba sprinting over to spray champagne on his teammate, showed the love despite his own near-miss. But near-misses don’t cut it anymore. Larson’s the betting favorite at +350 odds and someone like Bubba’s own spotter Freddie Kraft still feels hurt from a twist of fate at Darlington that handed Larson glory instead. Bubba’s got the tools, the team, the speed. So what’s stopping him? That’s the question hanging over Homestead.
Bubba Wallace thinks he has everything to win at Miami
Bubba’s no stranger to the spotlight. Driving the No. 23 Columbia PFG Toyota Camry XSE, he’s been a force early this year, and Homestead was no different. He posted the fastest lap in practice at 32.344 seconds, beating out Erik Jones and Kyle Larson. Then, in qualifying, he locked in a solid P9 starting spot for Sunday’s race. His teammate Tyler Reddick nabbed P20, while Riley Herbst sat at P19. Not a bad day for 23XI. But practice and qualifying don’t pay the bills. It’s race day that matters, and Bubba knows it. Last year, he led laps here and ran up front, only to watch Reddick steal the win in the No. 45. This time, he’s got his eyes on that top step.
Then came the moment that said it all. Regan Smith caught up with Bubba after practice, asking about those wild hand signals on camera. Bubba didn’t hold back: “Well, you’ve raced here, so you know how tricky this place is and how rough it can be, but you’re just sliding around from lap one to lap three. It’s really a totally different race car. I thought our Columbia PFG Toyota Camry was really good. It looks the best one out here, I’ll say that. We got that award already wrapped up. But the speed is there too, so hats off to everybody at 2311 and on the 23 group. We’ve had speed in the first five races. There’s really no horseshoe to go with that. So hopefully we can turn it around going into tomorrow. But just trying to show more confidence, ask more out of the car so I can get better feedback. So it’s all seeming to click right now, but a long way to go.”
.@BubbaWallace is feeling the vibes in Miami, does he get the finish he is hoping for? pic.twitter.com/AQoqRwdzIT
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) March 22, 2025
To refresh your memory. Bubba Wallace made a bold statement at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on October 27, 2024. Starting strong, he surged past Kyle Busch on the inside of Turn 1, snagging the lead early in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race. Tyler Reddick trailed in second, keeping playoff hopes alive, while Busch settled into third. The race took a turn when Kyle Larson, running second, cut a tire and slammed into the Turn 2 wall, triggering a caution. His No. 5 Chevrolet sustained damage, but the team scrambled to keep him in the fight. Meanwhile, green flag pit stops shuffled the field, with Chase Elliott briefly tangling with Daniel Suarez. Reddick ultimately stole the show, passing Ryan Blaney on the final lap to win and secure a Championship 4 spot leaving Wallace’s early heroics as a highlight of a wild day.
Regan pressed him on last year’s momentum, and Bubba doubled down: “Oh, of course. I really like, actually love, one of the best tracks on the circuit. That automatically brings good momentum to you. But then you have to get in the car and work and use all your driver tools to figure it out. So, I’ve got the best people around me to help me figure out those tools to make the toolbox even bigger. But yeah, last year definitely helped, but we did not finish where we wanted to. We want to be where the 45 was.” Regan wished him luck, and you could feel the weight of it.
Sunday’s race isn’t just another start, it’s a statement. This weekend, the excuses are running thin, and the expectations? Sky-high. He’s got the car, the crew, the track he loves. No more horseshoes, no more almosts. The NASCAR world’s watching, and so are we. Time to deliver.
Bubba Wallace’s Shadow Grows as Corey Heim Steals the Spotlight at Homestead
Bubba Wallace has been grinding in the NASCAR Cup Series, sitting 11th in the standings with steady backing from McDonald’s and Columbia Sportswear. But at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22, 2025, it wasn’t his name fans were chanting but it was Corey Heim’s. Bubba’s been fast this year, no doubt, but that last win was in 2022. The pressure’s on with 23XI Racing expanding to three cars, and now, after Heim’s gut-wrenching run in the Truck Series, the talk’s shifting whether Bubba’s seat safe or not.
Heim, just 22, tore up the Baptist Health 200, leading 78 laps and sweeping stages, outrunning Kyle Larson like it was nothing. With engine trouble and random shutdowns he had to reboot which dropped him to third, and you could hear the heartbreak in his voice: “This stings pretty bad, obviously, but nothing I can have done about it… We probably would have won the race by 10 seconds if we hadn’t had that problem.” Fans didn’t care about the finish asthey saw a star. “Corey’s making a statement (again) tonight, taking on (and currently beating) Kyle Larson,” tweeted reporter Joseph Srigley. Another fan screamed, “PUT COREY HEIM IN THE CUP SERIES,” while one cut deeper: “Bubba Wallace’s replacement if he doesn’t perform.”
Bubba’s not out yet as he’s got a new crew chief and a team that believes in him. But Heim’s rise as 23XI’s first development driver, already slated for Cup races in the No. 67 Toyota, has fans anxious. Denny Hamlin praised Heim’s Nashville grit last year: “He drove from the back to the top 12 before chaos hit.” Now, after Homestead, the grandstands are roaring for Heim. Bubba’s still in the fight, but the clock’s ticking. Can he hold off the kid who’s stealing his seat and thunder?
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