Pocono’s “Tricky Triangle” struck again, and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace was its latest victim. On Lap 56 of the Great American Getaway 400, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota slammed into the Turn 1 SAFER barrier after a right front brake rotor exploded, spraying debris across the track. The crash brought out the caution, halting the race’s rhythm.
“That was big,” Wallace said, still catching his breath, echoing the shock of a hit that rattled the 23XI camp. When asked to confirm if it was a brake issue, a visibly frustrated Wallace ranted on the team radio, “That’s what my foot told my a– that told my brain.”
Trouble for @BubbaWallace brings the yellow back out on Lap 54. pic.twitter.com/LwsafoGzMn
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 22, 2025
The eerie curse didn’t stop there as teammate Riley Herbst, running 30th, suffered the same fate earlier, his brake rotor failing into Turn 1, sending him hard into the wall.
Herbst’s wreck, also triggering a caution, left him shaken as he climbed from the mangled No. 98. In-car footage showed his tire blowing in the corner, compounding the brake failure chaos. Pocono’s high-speed straight into Turn 1, notorious for chewing up brakes, claimed two 23XI cars in one day, raising eyebrows about the team’s equipment.
Tyler Reddick, the lone 23XI driver still running, now sits with a cloud of concern hanging over his No. 45. The team’s double disaster fuels talk of a recurring gremlin, especially after Wallace’s brake rotor failure at Phoenix in March 2025 cost him a top-10 finish.
Wallace, sitting 10th in points, can’t afford more DNFs after three earlier this season. It was a deja vu moment for the driver of the #23 Toyota as he had a tire issues back in 2023 at the same track. A new winner would push Wallace further down the pecking order and that would be detrimental to his hopes of advancing to the playoffs.
Wallace’s Post-Race Frustration
In a raw post-race interview with Amazon Prime Video, Bubba Wallace didn’t hold back, “I was going to battle (Chris Buescher) into (turn) 2. By the time I was going to touch the (brake) pedal it just went to the floor. The brakes exploded. I hate it.” he said.
His irritation was palpable, as the brake failure not only ended his race but also marked his fifth finish outside the top 25 in the last nine races. Coming off a 26th-place result in Mexico City, Wallace’s Pocono wreck, finishing 36th, which was one spot ahead of teammate Riley Herbst just added insult to injury.
The day started rough for Wallace, who couldn’t fire up his No. 23 for qualifying on June 21, forcing a 33rd-place start. His climb through the field showed promise until the brake rotor gave out, echoing the team’s earlier woes with Herbst’s identical failure.
The 23XI camp’s equipment issues are raising red flags, especially with Pocono’s history of punishing brakes. Wallace’s 2023 tire trouble at the same track feels like a haunting rerun, deepening the sense of a curse plaguing the team.
Meanwhile, Stage 2 saw Chase Briscoe fend off Josh Berry for the win and a playoff point, while Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher faded from their early lead. Chase Elliott, running stronger than earlier, joined them as potential contenders for the overall victory.
With plenty of laps left, strategy could shift the race, but for Wallace, the focus is on shaking this streak. Sitting 10th in points, a new winner could tighten the playoff bubble, making 23XI’s reliability woes a looming threat to Wallace’s postseason hopes.
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