Bubba Wallace made history Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, becoming the first Black driver to win a major race on the track’s 2.5-mile oval.
Wallace Ends Drought with Gritty Brickyard Victory
Wallace captured the Brickyard 400 in a dramatic finish that included an 18-minute rain delay and two overtime restarts. The victory marked his third career NASCAR Cup Series win and his first in one of the series’ four crown jewel events.
“This one’s really cool,” Wallace said. “Coming off Turn 4, I knew I was going to get there — unless we ran out of gas.”
Wallace ended a 100-race winless streak dating back to 2022 in Kansas. His previous wins came at Talladega in 2021 and Kansas in 2022.
He led 30 laps in the race, including the final 26, holding off defending champion Kyle Larson by a margin of 0.222 seconds.
The victory also secured Wallace a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and delivered a boost to 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
“I want to win this straight up. I want to go back racing,” Bubba Wallace said about the overtime restarts. “Here we are.”
Bubba Wallace Overcomes Chaos to Join NASCAR’s Elite Winners
The race featured late-race drama when a yellow flag flew with six laps remaining, erasing a lead Wallace had built. Wallace held off Larson through back-to-back restarts, despite uncertainty over whether his car had enough fuel to finish.
Wallace’s win followed strong showings, including nearly earning pole position in Saturday’s qualifying before Chase Briscoe edged him out.
Other contenders, including Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, faced tire issues that removed them from contention. Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Cody Ware also exited early due to crashes.
Wallace, the only Black driver in the Cup Series, became the second Black driver to win at NASCAR’s highest level, following Wendell Scott’s 1963 victory.
The Indianapolis win adds Wallace’s name to the list of drivers with victories in NASCAR’s crown jewel races. Those include the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400.
Wallace Uses Platform to Drive Social Change in NASCAR
Beyond the racetrack, Bubba Wallace has emerged as a powerful voice for social justice in NASCAR. In 2020, he called on the sport to ban the Confederate flag, a symbol long associated with racism and exclusion. His advocacy led to a historic policy change, signaling a cultural shift within the sport.
Wallace also honored George Floyd’s memory with a custom “Black Lives Matter” car and publicly urged NASCAR fans and drivers to confront systemic racism. As the only Black driver in the Cup Series, Wallace continues to use his platform to challenge inequality and champion diversity in motorsports.