CONCORD, N.C. -- Bubba Wallace is not the only member of his team heading to North Wilkesboro Speedway in pursuit of some substantial money. His pit crew is also poised to capitalize on all of their hard work.
For the first time, the Open teams will also take part in the Pit Crew Challenge, which awards $100,000 to the fastest crew during Friday's session. This means the No. 23 team of 23XI Racing can show why they are ranked first in the Cup Series in average four-tire pit stop time.
"I can only imagine how they're feeling going into this week with that amount of confidence," Wallace told media members on Wednesday morning. "Because I just found out that all the cars can compete in the pit crew challenge.
"My crew chief said, 'Hey, they're solid. They're going to be dangerous (on) Friday.' And I was like, 'Charles (Denike), you're new to the Cup Series, we're not involved in that.' Come to find out, I was wrong. So if we do our jobs and execute, it's going to be a good Friday, and those guys should get rewarded for all the hard work that they've put in."
The Pit Crew Challenge sets the lineup for the All-Star Open and the All-Star Heat races. Each driver will go out on track and complete one lap at speed. They will then enter one of two designated pit stalls for a four-tire stop (no fuel).
Once this stop is complete, the driver will race back to the checkered flag. Their score will be the total elapsed time from the green flag to the checkered flag. The fastest pit stop without any penalties will win the challenge.
Wallace's crew -- tire carrier Joe Crossen, front changer Austin Dickey, rear changer Adam Hartman, fueler Joshua Pech, and jackman Nathan Ricketts -- has been incredibly consistent this season. Other than an equipment interference penalty in the opening stage at Kansas, this group has helped Wallace regularly contend for stage points and strong finishes.
According to champion mechanic and motorsports writer Bozi Tatarevic, this crew even set a new NASCAR record at Kansas with an 8.09-second four-tire stop.
This is a significant change from Wallace's early days at 23XI Racing, when the team leased its crew from Joe Gibbs Racing. Those early days saw Wallace's leased crew struggling to achieve consistency as they dealt with loose wheels, penalties, and other problems.
Some of these struggles continued in 2023 as 23XI Racing brought its pit crew program in-house. The No. 23 and No. 45 crews experienced some growing pains due to penalties and loose wheels.
This is not the case anymore. The 23XI Racing crews are far more consistent, and they better support Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Riley Herbst. It just took some time and considerable effort to reach this point.
"(23XI Racing) put a lot of work into the pit crew program to start," Wallace said. "Invested a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort. And then our players have put in a lot of time in themselves to be the absolute best. And you can see it. Those guys walk around with confidence. They know that they're the best on pit road.
"Mistakes are going to happen. ...But you have to learn how to rebound, and regroup, and refocus, and re-rack them."
The mistake at Kansas was only last weekend, so the group hasn't had the opportunity to rebound just yet. This will happen on Friday (6:10 p.m. ET, FS1) as they take part in the Pit Crew Challenge.
And Wallace has complete faith in their ability to capture the $100,000 prize and the prestigious trophy.