<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
He holds off Kyle Larson for win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n
Hamlin saw Wallace start to show that increased drive the next year when Kurt Busch joined the team and again when Tyler Reddick came to 23XI Racing in 2023 \u2014 teammates providing motivation.<\/p>\n
Even so, Wallace didn\u2019t win. His last Cup victory came in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to win and we put a lot of resources into doing that,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cSo he\u2019s felt pressure. I think he\u2019s felt the pressure not only from me but Michael and everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Wallace missed the playoffs last year for the third time in four seasons at 23XI Racing, Hamlin said he saw a change in the driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis valleys weren\u2019t as low,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cIt seemed like on the bad days, he was able to compartmentalize that and then think about the positives vs. everything sucks all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a tough way to live. We\u2019re in a business that if you can win 5% of the time you\u2019re a Hall of Famer. You\u2019re going to lose. This is a losing business. You have to find happiness in some other way than actually winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The change happened around the time Wallace became a father.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutting family first, that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cMakes things easier. It gives you something to kind of focus onto.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new voice<\/b><\/p>\n
With the pressure to succeed, Wallace faced another challenge this season. The team hired Charles Denike, who had no Cup experience, to be Wallace\u2019s crew chief.<\/p>\n
From the beginning, Hamlin touted Denike, a former military officer as a game-changer for Wallace.<\/p>\n
Wallace started the season strong. Winning seemed likely.<\/p>\n
But then it didn\u2019t come. Even after being among the leaders in stage points early in the season, Wallace found himself in the same place he has been in past summers \u2014 at or near the playoff cutline late in the regular season.<\/p>\n
Entering Sunday\u2019s race at Indianapolis, Wallace held the final playoff spot by 16 points on Ryan Preece.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The 23XI Racing driver held off Kyle Larson on multiple restarts in overtime.<\/p>\n Adding to the pressure was the weather that changed the weekend schedule for teams.<\/p>\n Rain canceled Friday\u2019s 50-minute practice, so NASCAR gave teams a 25-minute session Saturday. Even a 2.5-mile track can be crowded with traffic and not give teams a good read on their qualifying setup. With track position key, qualifying carries a heightened importance.<\/p>\n But Wallace told Denike before qualifying: \u201cI don\u2019t completely know what I have in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is superstar qualifying,\u201d Denike told Wallace. \u201cThis is what we show up to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallace qualified second. He would be a contender in Sunday\u2019s race.<\/p>\n Quieting the doubts<\/b><\/p>\n Wallace was strong all race. He had the best average running position (4.93) of any driver Sunday and led 30 laps.<\/p>\n Denike\u2019s strategy kept Wallace toward the front and gave him a shot to win.<\/p>\n That forced others to react.<\/p>\n When the third stage began 55 laps from the scheduled end, leader Kyle Larson was told not to save fuel. Crew chief Cliff Daniels wanted Larson to build a gap between he and Wallace, who was running sixth after the restart but had had pitted later than Larson and many others ahead. That meant Wallace needed less time for his final pit stop because he didn\u2019t require as much fuel as others.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n