Against the Odds: Bubba Wallace Wins Dramatic Brickyard After 100-Race Drought – Bubba Wallace delivered a monumental win Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, claiming the Brickyard 400 and becoming the first Black driver to win a major race on the track’s iconic 2.5-mile oval.
The 31-year-old driver of the No. 23 car celebrated with raw emotion — raising his fists, embracing family, and soaking in a victory that’s both personal and historic. Wallace overcame a chaotic race marked by a rain delay, two overtimes, and fuel concerns to secure his third career NASCAR Cup Series win.
“This one’s really cool,” Wallace said. “Coming off Turn 4, I knew I had it — unless we ran out of gas. I was shocked I didn’t cry.”
His win at the Brickyard breaks a 100-race winless streak and marks his first triumph in one of NASCAR’s four crown jewel races, joining the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. It also punches his ticket to the Cup Series playoffs.
Tense Finish Against a Champion
Wallace held off defending Brickyard winner Kyle Larson through two intense restarts. Larson had cut a five-second gap down to three seconds when rain brought out a caution with just four laps to go. After an 18-minute delay, Wallace kept his cool on the restarts — even as another crash forced the race into double overtime.
With fuel running low and pressure high, Wallace stayed on track.
“I thought, ‘Here we go again,’” Wallace admitted. “But then I told myself, ‘I want to win this the right way. Let’s race.’ And we did.”
He beat Larson on the final restart and crossed the line just 0.222 seconds ahead, denying Larson a chance to become only the fourth driver in history to win back-to-back Brickyards.
Source: NBCNews
