Charles Denike will become crew chief of the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing and driver Bubba Wallace beginning in 2025, the team announced Wednesday.
Denike, who currently serves as crew chief for the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet with Christian Eckes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will replace Bootie Barker atop the pit box next year as Barker moves into a leadership role within the team’s competition group, continuing to help prepare cars and strategize for races at Airspeed, the team’s facility in Huntersville, North Carolina.
“23XI has been good to me, and I hope I have been as good for 23XI,” Barker said in a team release. “Loyalty is important to me and I will continue to do all I can in my new role to help everyone here succeed. I was fortunate to be a part of 23XI’s inception, and I look forward to being a part of the team’s continued journey.”
MORE: Martinsville schedule
Barker has served as the team’s crew chief since the final eight races of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, scoring the first career win for himself and Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway that fall. The duo struck again in September 2022 at Kansas Speedway, this time donning the No. 45, with their second visit to Victory Lane.
“Since joining 23XI, Bootie has provided Bubba and the No. 23 crew with the leadership and confidence they needed to grow into the team they are today,” Dave Rogers, 23XI director of competition, said in a release. “As we began to look ahead to next season, we decided that Bootie’s experience would best serve the organization in a different role based at Airspeed. His input will continue to be an asset to our teams. We’re excited to welcome Charles to the organization and look forward to getting started with him at the end of the season. He will be a terrific addition to the No. 23 team and 23XI as we continue to work to be better.”
In two years with Eckes, Denike has combined for seven wins, 23 top 10s and 33 top 10s in 44 starts.
“Bootie has meant a lot to me and the No. 23 team,” Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota, said in a release. “We’ve been together for some special moments, and I’m glad he’s still going to be a part of what we’re building at 23XI. I’m excited to work with Charles and see what we can accomplish together.”
In total, Denike brings nine Truck Series wins on his resume, netting one each with Chase Elliott and Sam Mayer with GMS Racing in 2020. Denike’s career began in 2012 with Precision Performance Motorsports in the ARCA East and Xfinity Series as a team manager, according to the 23XI release, before moving to GMS in 2016 as a race engineer. Denike then moved to the crew-chief position in 2020 where he remained with GMS until the 2022 campaign.
“I am excited for the 2025 season with the No. 23 team and to work with Bubba and all of 23XI Racing beginning in the offseason,” Denike, a nine-year veteran of the US Army, said in the release. “Bubba is a proven winner, and I believe we will bring out the best in each other. Thank you to Michael (Wheeler, Sr. Director, Planning & Operations), Denny, and Dave for the opportunity to join the 23XI family. They have built an incredible culture at Airspeed.
“I am a believer that winning is a process. When you step foot into Airspeed, you see the tools and resources that it takes to win and are surrounded by people with the same vision and mindset. I am looking forward to this next chapter and to be able to contribute to 23XI’s growth and journey to winning championships.”