Wallace To The 45 Car

By Tom Luttermoser    Image Via: 23XI Racing Twitter

In what has got to be one of the oddest things we've seen in NASCAR in a while, 23XI Racing announced Wednesday that Bubba Wallace will be changing numbers. The 23 team will change numbers to 45 for the remainder of the 2022 season in order to give 23XI the best opportunity possible to compete for the 2022 Owners Championship.

“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,” said team president Steve Lauletta.

23XI has so far said no changes will be made to the crew or sponsors (23 sponsors will move to the 45 and 45 to the 23). Ty Gibbs will field the 23 Starting at Darlington. As for why not keep Ty Gibbs in the 45, Team President Steve Lauletta stated, “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.”