Bubba Wallace makes history with Brickyard 400 win at Indy
Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic oval with his Brickyard 400 victory on Sunday, July 27. The 31-year-old outlasted defending champion Kyle Larson in a double-overtime finish, snapping a 100-race winless streak and securing his third career NASCAR Cup Series win.
Wallace had previously won at Talladega in 2021 and Kansas in 2022, but Sunday marked his first win in one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events.
The win also clinched a playoff berth and marked a milestone for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. The final margin was 0.222 seconds after Wallace held off Larson through back-to-back restarts and navigated the risk of running out of fuel late in the race.
How did Wallace overcome late-race challenges?
Wallace was leading with four laps to go when a rain delay temporarily halted the race. After a brief pause, a crash behind the leaders triggered a second overtime. Despite concerns about fuel, Wallace’s team chose not to pit. He beat Larson again on the final restart to secure the win. Wallace said the final laps tested his focus and self-belief.
“I want to win this straight up. I want to go back racing,” he said post-race. “So to beat the best, we had to be the best today.”
How did the crowd respond?
Wallace initially drew boos from the crowd as he battled Larson, a fan favorite. But after crossing the finish line and celebrating with his son, the grandstands shifted. Cheers broke out as Wallace raised his infant in victory lane.
“Maybe I gained a fan. Maybe I lost a fan today, and that’s OK,” he said. “I’m sitting here a Brickyard 400 winner … I’m winning at life.”
What else happened during the race?
Ty Gibbs won the $1 million In-Season Challenge despite finishing 21st. Multiple contenders, including Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and Erik Jones, exited early due to tire failures or crashes.
Officials moved the race start earlier in the day to avoid storms, but a brief rain delay still impacted the final laps.
Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and others failed to finish, while Denny Hamlin placed third and Ryan Preece finished fourth.
NASCAR heads next to Iowa Speedway for another round of Cup Series action.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
