Why Bubba Wallace is switching car numbers for the last 10 NASCAR races of the season

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have heard that NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is switching car numbers for the remainder of the season and have a lot of questions? That’s OK because we’re here to help.

Since joining 23XI Racing, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s team, ahead of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bubba Wallace has been behind the wheel of the team’s No. 23 Toyota. He won his first career race with that car number last fall at Talladega Superspeedway.

But for the NASCAR playoffs — which begin Sunday with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway — Wallace is switching to 23XI’s other car, the No. 45 Toyota.

Some quick background: Wallace in the No. 23 car did not qualify as a driver for the 10-race playoffs. His teammate, Kurt Busch, the regular driver of the No. 45 car, did by winning a race in May at Kansas Speedway.

But Busch has been sidelined since July following a wreck at Pocono Raceway, and he still has not been medically cleared to race after experiencing “concussion-like symptoms” and withdrew himself from the playoffs. In his absence, second-tier Xfinity Series driver Ty Gibbs has been filling in behind the wheel of the No. 45 car.

Although Busch is no longer part of the postseason and his timeline for returning remains unclear, the No. 45 car itself is still eligible for the owners’ championship in the playoffs, while the No. 23 car is not.

So, instead of having Gibbs — who does not race full time in the Cup Series currently — continue competing in the No. 45, 23XI is opting to put its more experienced driver in that car to compete for the owners’ title, the team announced Wednesday. It’s a move that the team said offers it “the best chance for the highest possible finish at the end of the season.”

Wallace’s sponsors and his crew chief, Bootie Barker, will remain the same for the last 10 races of the season – only the car number is changing.

“After consulting with NASCAR, we made this decision in the best interest of the entire organization and for all our employees who helped earn a spot in the playoffs for the Owner’s Championship through their hard work,” team president Steve Lauletta said in a statement. “While Ty has done a great job for us in the No. 45 car, we feel that Bubba’s experience in this car, at the upcoming playoff tracks and his recent momentum will give 23XI the best chance at maximizing our points each weekend. We recognize that this is a unique opportunity in the Cup Series, and we’re grateful to our employees and partners for standing with the team and supporting this decision.”

But this adjustment is only for the rest of the season, after which Wallace — who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with 23XI — is expected to return to the No. 23 car.

23XI’s No. 45 car is currently 12th in the owners’ standings, putting it 33 points behind the leader, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.