Bubba Wallace moving to 23XI Racing’s No. 45 for playoffs

Wallace will remain paired with his crew chief, Bootie Barker. Ty Gibbs will continue to serve as 23XI’s substitute driver for Kurt Busch and will now drive the No. 23 Toyota with Billy Scott remaining as the crew chief.

Aside from the number being different, there will be no changes to the primary sponsors on either car.

“After consulting with NASCAR, we made this decision in the best interest of the entire organization and for all our employees who helped earn a spot in the playoffs for the owner’s championship through their hard work,” said team president Steve Lauletta.

“While Ty has done a great job for us in the No. 45 car, we feel that Bubba’s experience in this car, at the upcoming playoff tracks and his recent momentum will give 23XI the best chance at maximizing our points each weekend.

“We recognize that this is a unique opportunity in the Cup Series, and we’re grateful to our employees and partners for standing with the team and supporting this decision.”

Busch, who is the regular driver of the No. 45, was involved in a hard wreck and suffered a concussion in the final round of qualifying at Pocono Raceway in late July and has not been cleared by NASCAR to compete ever since.

Although Busch won a race earlier this season, he and the team announced on Aug. 25 that he would forfeit his spot in the driver’s playoffs because he did not have a set timetable for his return to racing.