Bob Pockrass said he would expect Bubba Wallace back with 23XI Racing next season, a sign that the No. 23 driver’s rough stretch has not changed the basic read on his place in the team’s plans. Wallace, who drives the No. 23 car, has been dragged down by poor finishes and bad breaks after a season that started with a Brickyard 400 win.
The timing matters because Wallace’s name is being searched now for two reasons at once: his contract year is alive, and his form has slipped enough to make his immediate future feel less settled than it did months ago. Through his first five races in 2026, he had four top-10 finishes and an 8.8 average finishing position. In the last six races, though, he ranked 29th in average finishing position at 22.2, and he has finished 20th or worse in four straight races.
That drop has turned Wallace from a driver who looked like a clear Chase player into a borderline contender. Over his last three points races, he scored 34 points, and the No. 23 team has also been hit by several wrecks caused by other drivers that left race-altering damage. Wallace has 12 DNFs dating back to last season, a number that has hung over his campaign as much as any one bad run.
Pockrass’s expectation does not appear to be based on any new extension news. There has been no indication of a potential contract extension, even though 23XI Racing already has Corey Heim and Tyler Reddick under contract for the 2027 season and beyond. That leaves Wallace in a familiar but uneasy spot: expected to stay, not yet shown a longer runway.
For now, the most likely read is that Wallace remains with 23XI Racing next season, but the bigger question is what comes after that. If the team is not ready to say anything about an extension, then his future beyond the team option still depends on whether the No. 23 can turn the recent skid into something more like the strong start that made his year look secure in the first place.
