Overview
- Wallace led a season-high 52 laps Sunday at the Freeway Insurance 500 but was assessed a late pit‑road speeding penalty that dropped him to the rear and left him 17th.
- NASCAR called the penalty after Wallace took four tires under a late caution, forcing a restart with about 18 laps remaining and removing him from contention for the win.
- Crew chief Charles Denike said the team will accept shared responsibility, has reviewed the car’s pit‑stall approach and identified specific reference points such as white lines and hash marks, and plans clearer radio calls going forward.
- Denike and Wallace pointed to Phoenix Raceway’s curved pit road as a key factor because the layout limits sightlines and makes judging speed and stall entry more difficult.
- Teammates and team officials say morale is steady as 23XI heads to Talladega with optimism that cleaner pit execution can stop a string of late‑race setbacks that have undercut otherwise strong runs this season.