Harrison’s win at Burton at Daytona put a smile on many people’s faces, but Bubba Wallace was not one of them. The 23XI Racing driver had just crossed the playoff line at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. After Burton won the race, the order was moved down and Wallace is now 21 points behind. That’s a huge gap to make up, but his boss Denny Hamlin continues to trust the driver of the No. 23 car as Darlington’s drivers are dwindling.

“We have seen that for some reason the Southern 500 is experiencing some wear and tear,” Hamlin said in his podcast. “I wouldn’t think anything of Bubba going out there and having a great day. If he goes out there and finishes top three in every stage and top three, I think that puts a lot of pressure on the others to go out there and not have a bad day.”

It’s not that a 21-point deficit can’t be closed in one race, but it’s extremely difficult. Darlington is considered the toughest track in NASCAR. Additionally, Chris Buescher, who is 21 points ahead of the cutline, will have to have a bad day for Wallace to even have a chance. The last time the No. 23 driver raced here, he finished P7, which is a good result. But he’ll have to work much harder if he wants to have any chance of making the Round of 16.

Wallace finished sixth in Daytona, which is a good result. He also finished in the top five in Indianapolis and Richmond. His 20th place in Michigan and Burton’s win on Saturday alone have put him in an extremely difficult situation. But he will still do everything he can to make the playoffs.

23XI Racing star practices difficult self-talk after Daytona

The 23XI Racing driver didn’t fare well despite a top-10 finish at Daytona. He believes the team should never have been in this position as he has had multiple opportunities to win races this year. Now all the pressure is on him to deliver in the final race weekend of the regular season. After making the playoffs last year, it won’t be a good look if he doesn’t make it this time, which unfortunately seems more likely.

“One car is fighting for the regular season championship and another is on the brink. That’s unacceptable. I take the whole burden on my shoulders. I should have won several times and I didn’t. We don’t even deserve to be here and we’re not. We have to win, that’s all.” said the 30-year-old after the race on Saturday.

Darlington is an incredibly tough race and Wallace has never won there. However, he has finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races there, two of which have been in the top five. He will need to find that form again and improve significantly to have a chance of making the playoffs.