Bubba Wallace will honor military veterans with a special paint scheme on his car at this weekend’s Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. The scheme is based on the famous Flying Tigers who flew in World War II and is tied to a new TV ad Xfinity will debut during the NASCAR race. 23XI Racing and the Air Force have also struck a new deal for 2024.
Wallace has a personal connection to the military, having spent three years with the Air Force as his sponsor during his time with Petty GMS. He said he wanted to bring back the Warthog scheme, but the team decided to go with the Flying Tigers design, which inspired the Warthog scheme.
“I think, one, it’s exciting to have the Air Force back,” Wallace said. “To be a part of my career and the legacy we’re trying to build at 23XI. So I think that’s super humbling, very appreciative of that. But when I walked in, day one, I was like, ‘Hey we need to bring back the Warthog scheme, people want it.’ I thought it was the best-looking scheme in the garage.
“So, to be able to incorporate now the Flying Tiger scheme, it has a lot of resemblance to the Warthog scheme. But it’s just super cool to be able to kind of deliver on that standpoint and then to just be able to represent the Air Force.”
Wallace will carry the names of four Vietnam veterans on his car during the Dover race:
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Robert L. Greer
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Charles W. Ramey
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John S. Krummel
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Thomas W. Bennett
These four veterans will be featured in the Xfinity commercial during the Wurth 400. Wallace is looking forward to representing them and all military veterans.
“They put their lives on the line for us to be able to race at Dover,” Wallace said. “So, it’s the least that I can do is to give back and give a good result.”
This weekend at Dover is one that the 23 team is looking forward to. Wallace has been strong on intermediate tracks this season, with three top-five finishes and another top-10. He is also 11th in points, 12 points above the 16th-place cutline.
“I think halfway through last season it was like, ‘Hey, we suck at qualifying.’ And then we started putting a lot of emphasis on what we need to do for qualifying. We keep track, you know, I think it’s five in a row for us right now,” Wallace said. “You said it’s six out of nine but I think it’s five in a row of keeping the second-round streak going.”
Wallace has historically struggled at Dover, with a career-best finish of P11. However, he is looking forward to racing at the track this weekend.
“Dover has been a place that scared the Hell out of me when I first showed up but ever since then it’s been really, really fun whether it’s a good result or a bad result,” Wallace said. “It’s a place that I wish, I don’t know, I know the racing’s okay there, but man, I don’t know what’s a more exciting race track than Dover. So, that makes it fun and more appealing to show up and run good.”
Wallace is confident that he can win a race this season. He is in the best position he has ever been in points, and he has a strong team behind him.
“Absolutely, there’s no better stretch than right now,” Wallace said. “We’re in the best spot we’ve been in points. It’s still early, of course, anything can happen. … Usually, we’re just clawing and fighting to get out of 21st, 25th, at this point, right? So, it’s fun to be where we’re at right now, it’s a lot more work, it’s a lot more challenging but that’s what we’re ready for.
“That’s the type of work that we look forward to showing up and conquering each and every weekend. So this next stretch of races is really playing to our hand, playing to our favor. Doesn’t mean that it’s a guarantee, you’re not entitled to get the good run that you think you should get so you have got to go out and fight for it and earn it the hard way.”
