The spotlight is on Kansas this weekend for 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, being the team’s last realistic shot to punch its ticket into the Round of 8. In 2023, Tyler Reddick gave 23XI one of its strongest moments at Kansas by winning the Hollywood Casino 400 with a pass on fresh tires after a late caution. But the 2024 season saw a slump, as neither car broke into the top 15 in the Kansas race. The upcoming mile-and-a-half battle could decide whether the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin co-owned team’s playoff hopes survive or fade away.
But beneath the racing heat is a legal storm. 23XI’s charter status is in serious jeopardy. After refusing NASCAR’s 2025 charter extension, the co-owners fled an antitrust lawsuit, arguing that the charter agreement contained unfair clauses that prevented them from suing. Now, operating as open teams and with the threat of losing talents like Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, the playoff situation is more tense for 23XI than any other team, as warned by NASCAR insiders.
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Playoff cutline pressure mounts on Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace
Sports Business Journal’s Jeff Gluck, along with The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, in the latest episode of The Teardown podcast, emphasized the critical nature of the upcoming Kansas race for 23XI Racing. Gluck noted, “Next week is sort of a season-defining race for 23XI, in a way. Because you could go to the Roval, and Reddick’s had good road courses, and Bubba’s had a lot better there. But you don’t want to go dramatically below the cut line, or even double digits below the cut line.”
Kansas has historically been a strong track for the team, but recent performances have been inconsistent. Bianchi’s take added the emotional weight: “No, I thought Bubba was well-positioned to make it into the next round, and a threat to make it to the championship four. I felt optimistic about Reddick, maybe not as high. I did not see them having a horrible, no-good, bad day at New Hampshire.” NHMS exposed frailties, including handling issues, poor finishes, and maybe even strategy missteps.
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Wallace finished 26th at NHMS, one of the poorest finishes among playoff-eligible drivers this weekend. And Reddick has gone through several races where outcomes just fell short, even when speed was there. Gluck continued, “But, you do look at Kansas as a track where they have been good. Now, they haven’t been as good lately… I don’t know how they dig themselves out of this if they don’t have a great Kansas race.”
Kansas is a traditional 1.5-mile intermediate track where aerodynamics, tire management, and clean restarts matter. In the Next Gen era, 23XI has had strength there. However, their recent runs are full of inconsistencies, including a 21st-place finish at Daytona International Speedway, 34th in Richmond Raceway, and 16th at the Gateway. That sets up Kansas as a potential pivot point.
Bianchi expressed surprise at the team’s current predicament. “I am really surprised at where this organization is at right now. It felt like the 23 team was really coming into its own. Reddick started the playoffs well at Darlington, and it just hasn’t been good. And looking at doing some research and everything going into this weekend, during the race, too, as I was looking at this race, and it’s like, they only won one race this year combined.”
Both drivers had shown promise earlier in the season, with Reddick securing a second-place finish at Darlington and Wallace consistently finishing in the top 10. However, the setback in New Hampshire has cast doubt on their playoff aspirations. The Roval traditionally punishes mistakes, and with Kansas and the Roval left before moving into the Round of 8, 23XI’s margin for error is vanishing.
“But you put yourself in a points hole now where you really need a great day at Kansas, and you may need a lot of things to go right for you at the Roval. And that’s a tough thing to be in… That’s crazy to think about when you think about how great this organization was last year. And I know Bubba didn’t make the playoffs last year, but you look at the statistics he had, top fives, top tens, average finish, he had a really good year. And he would have made the playoffs except for two surprise winners at the end there,” Bianchi added.
Wallace finished the 2024 season off with 6 top-5 finishes, 14 top-10s, 1 pole, and 878 points, with an average start of 14.9 and average finish of 15.28. For 2025, Wallace has just one win at the Brickyard 400, 12 top-10s, and an average finish of around 18.8, with 8 DNFs.
But the pressure is intense, and as both insiders warn, if Kansas doesn’t deliver, 23XI may not just fall short of the Round of 8, but they may be left scrambling to even avoid missing the next round.
23XI Racing eyes clean races as key to beating JGR
Joe Gibbs Racing opened the 2025 playoff with an emphatic sweep, stacking wins at Darlington, Illinois, and Gateway. By contrast, 23XI has shown speed but failed to convert opportunities into victories. Tyler Reddick reflected on the fine margins at Darlington, saying, “We had a shot at it at Darlington for sure.” Despite running 2nd in both stages and finishing runner-up overall, the team fell just short due to the pit cycle strategy and Chase Briscoe’s tire management.
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The trend continued at Gateway, where small errors unraveled a promising pace. As Reddick admitted, “Gateway, we had some issues along the way.” A slow tire change, pit communication mix-ups, and a radio error left the team scrambling. Bubba Wallace salvaged an 8th-place finish, but with Riley Herbst buried deep in the field, it was another case of execution costing valuable playoff ground.