WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Charles Denike has only been atop the No. 23 pit box for one race, but Denny Hamlin has no doubts about adding the crew chief to 23XI Racing's lineup. In fact, he sees a bright future after making this offseason move.
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"I truly believe he's going to be a game-changer for 23XI," Hamlin said about Denike. "He is special. All I can say is I'm glad we found him. Certainly, I think he's going to be taking that 23 team to the next level."
Hamlin made this statement after he and Bubba Wallace both finished inside the top five in Sunday night's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. A top five at a short track was nothing new for Hamlin, the driver who won last season's Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
For Wallace, however, this fifth-place finish capped off a strong weekend in which he had run well while building chemistry with his new crew chief. It was his best finish on a quarter-mile track in a Cup car, surpassing his 12th-place finish in LA last season.
"I think this is good," Wallace said Sunday night. "Hell, I finished my first Clash ever, so that's awesome. Usually, I'm wrecked on the last lap.
"...Couldn't be more proud of the effort we put in, how we started from practice, qualified, from the heat race to the main event. We non-stop worked. That's all you can ask for."
A fifth-place finish in the Clash — an exhibition event — is a strong start to Denike's partnership with Wallace and the No. 23 team. However, the true test begins in fewer than two weeks at Daytona International Speedway.
The Alabama native has two wins and one playoff appearance on his Cup Series resume, all of which he achieved with crew chief Bootie Barker.
Last season was Wallace's best season statistically speaking as he set career-best marks in top-10 finishes (14), top-fives (six), and average finish (15.3). Yet he missed the playoffs.
This season will be crucial for Wallace. Wins and playoff appearances are becoming the minimum expectation for 23XI Racing, especially after Reddick reached the Championship 4 last season.
In order to meet these expectations and reach the next level as Hamlin predicted, Denike and Wallace will have to get their partnership off to a fast start at Daytona and the rest of the tracks early in the season.
They will also have to emphasize communication, whether they are celebrating little wins or telling each other hard truths after disappointing days.
So far, Wallace indicates that the communication is on point as they pursue future success.
"Since the first day I met Charles, he's been super just on it and willing to just bust his ass to figure out where we need to be better," Wallace said. "He's not afraid of telling you like, 'I need to do this.' I'm not afraid to tell him the same thing."
