Toyota’s playoff run in 2025 has been a masterclass in teamwork, with Joe Gibbs Racing leading the charge and 23XI Racing riding their coattails to stay in the fight. At Richmond earlier this year, Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 car lost a wheel after a pit miscue, but JGR’s pit crew swooped in mid-race to bolt it back on, saving his day and keeping him in the points hunt. That kind of collaboration, where JGR’s resources prop up Toyota’s entire stable, shows why they’re a postseason powerhouse.

JGR’s Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe swept the Round of 16, leading nearly 80% of the laps, while Wallace and 23XI’s Tyler Reddick lean on that same tech and pit muscle to hang with the big dogs. But as Wallace himself admitted before New Hampshire’s Round of 12 opener, catching JGR’s flawless execution is the real challenge for 23XI in Toyota’s in-house showdown.

Wallace on JGR’s edge

Before the “Magic Mile” kicked off, Bubba Wallace laid it out plain on how Toyota’s rolling, “I think it’s been really good to see how fast the Toyotas have been showing our cars at the right time, at least. But yeah, I think we should keep putting in the time and effort figuring out what we need to beat the JGR cars.”

JGR’s been untouchable; Bell, Hamlin, and Briscoe won all three Round of 16 races, with all Toyota drivers eating up 860 of 1,107 laps. In New Hampshire, JGRs led 661 of 907 Next Gen-era laps, a stat that screams dominance. Wallace’s 23XI squad is quick, but JGR’s the gold standard, and he knows closing that gap takes serious work.

Playoff pressure cranks it up, as Wallace noted, “Yeah, you’ve got to intensify a little bit more. You know, when we’re in by 1 or 2, whatever it is, it’s going to take… it takes everything, and the last round took everything as well.”

Bristol’s chaos, with JGR leading 343 of 500 laps, showed how tight the margins are. “Let the little stuff go and focus on the big stuff later,” he added, likely thinking of that Richmond wheel mishap where JGR’s pit crew bailed him out. For Wallace, it’s about nailing the big moves, strategy, points, and execution to match JGR’s playoff polish.

Bristol’s controversy stirs the pot

Bubba Wallace’s push to match JGR’s bar isn’t just about speed; it’s about staying out of trouble, something he couldn’t avoid at Bristol. During the Night Race, as his No. 23 Toyota slid from the lead to the mid-teens on worn-out Goodyears, Wallace planned a pit stop for fresh tires. But right before, he veered right, spinning out Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr., triggering a caution that kept him on the lead lap.

The timing raised eyebrows. Did Wallace spin Stenhouse on purpose? Social media lit up, with some fans quick to accuse him, a familiar refrain given his knack for landing in controversy’s crosshairs. Wallace was quick to apologize, telling his team to pass word to Stenhouse’s No. 47 crew that tire degradation made his car impossible to turn, causing the contact.

It looked suspicious, sure, but risking a feud with a non-playoff driver when he’d already locked in the Round of 12 seems like a stretch. Still, the incident underscores the fine line Wallace walks, chasing JGR’s precision while dodging drama that could derail his playoff run.

As he battles to close the gap with JGR’s “powerhouse” at tracks like New Hampshire, where Toyota’s speed shines, Wallace’s focus on execution over “little stuff” like Bristol’s controversy could make or break his title shot.