Everybody wants to talk about Denny Hamlin.
Everybody wants to talk about Tyler Reddick.
Everybody wants to talk about Kyle Larson.
Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace just quietly went out and finished eighth at Darlington to open The Chase.
Classic Bubba.
The No. 23 started 17th and worked his way forward all night, finishing eighth and scoring a clean top-10 in the first race of NASCAR’s championship fight.
And here’s the funny part.
Wallace has been winless all season despite 23XI Racing putting seven cars in Victory Lane between Tyler Reddick and Corey Heim. He entered The Chase seeded 14th after spending part of the regular season near the top of the standings.
So naturally, everyone has already written him off.
Good.
Let them.
Wallace has speed. He has four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s this season. He finished second at New Hampshire just two weeks before the playoffs began and gave Ryan Blaney everything he could handle in the closing laps.
Darlington wasn’t flashy.
It didn’t need to be.
He survived one of the nastiest tracks on the schedule, gained nine spots from his starting position and walked away with a top-10 while plenty of Chase contenders left with bigger problems.
Maybe Bubba doesn’t need to be the favorite.
Maybe being ignored is exactly where he wants to be.
Ten races.
One trophy.
Let’s see who is laughing in November.
