Bubba Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, won the first of two qualifying races Thursday for the upcoming Daytona 500.

With a speed of 187.480 mph, Denny Hamlin posted the fastest lap in Wednesday’s (Feb. 12) Daytona 500 practice session. Toyota swept the top three spots in the first on-track action of Speedweeks, as Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs posted the second- and third-fastest times,

Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, won the first of two qualifying races Thursday for the upcoming Daytona 500. He showed enough speed to make him one of the favorites heading

NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace and WGN Radio host Dane Neal at WGN Studios – all photos Dane Neal/WGN Radio Driver of the #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace joins Dane Neal on WGN Radio

Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, won the first of two qualifying races Thursday for the upcoming Daytona 500

The 23XI teammates of Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick worked together perfectly down the stretch of Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday night leading to Wallace claiming the victory and the third starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Read the recent NASCAR news and rumors for fantasy racing. Although Bubba Wallace outqualified all the other Toyota drivers for yesterday's

Although Bubba Wallace outqualified all the other Toyota drivers for yesterday's Ambetter Health 400, he never led and rarely contended for the lead but he consistently ran well nonetheless as he finished ninth and his ninth-place average running position and 100.

At 31, Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing, is contemplating his future in NASCAR. Despite a multi-year contract extension signed in September 2024, Wallace emphasizes that his continued participation hinges on competitiveness.

Bubba Wallace , left, celebrates in Victory lane with his son Becks Hayden and his wife Amanda Carter after winning the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Charles Denike, the new crew chief for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team in 2025, is making strong impressions early with 23XI Racing.

Wallace will now start third in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, behind pole-sitter Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric. Wallace's win continued Toyota's early dominance at Daytona International Speedway, where Briscoe won the pole in his new Joe Gibbs Racing ride.