Indianapolis, Indiana – On a night that had everything from fuel strategy to rain delays and dramatic double overtime restarts, Bubba Wallace etched his name into history with a long-awaited and hard-fought win in the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Wallace, driving the No. 23 Chumba Casino Toyota for 23XI Racing—a team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin—ended a 100-race winless streak in spectacular fashion. It wasn’t just another win for the books. With this victory, Wallace became the first African American driver to win the Brickyard 400, one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events.
“That adrenaline rush is crazy,” Wallace said. “I’m worn out. Unbelievable. To win here at the Brickyard, knowing how big this race is, knowing all the noise that’s going on in the background, to set that all aside is a testament to these people here on this 23 team. It’s been getting old, running on the (playoffs) cut line.
How many days since my last win? Zero.”
Wallace secured his playoff spot with the victory, breaking through after a long drought that had seen him regularly hovering near the postseason cutoff line. He now joins an elite group of drivers who have conquered the 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis, but his road to the checkered flag was anything but easy.
A Battle on Track and in the Tank
The Brickyard 400, scheduled for 160 laps, turned into a strategic and emotional rollercoaster for Wallace and his team. His path to victory opened on Lap 143, when race leader Ryan Blaney pitted, handing Wallace the lead. At that moment, Wallace had a healthy 4.911-second advantage over teammate Tyler Reddick, and he looked to be cruising toward a relatively smooth finish.
But Kyle Larson, the 2024 Brickyard 400 champion, wasn’t done. Driving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Larson began closing the gap lap by lap. By Lap 154, he had cut Wallace’s lead down to just over three seconds and was gaining fast. It seemed Larson might run out of time before catching Wallace—but then a new variable entered the equation.
Wallace’s last pit stop came on Lap 117, while Larson had stopped on Lap 121. With an estimated fuel range of 40 laps, Wallace and his crew were suddenly sweating every corner, especially with overtime looming.
Rain, Wrecks, and Restarts
Just when it looked like the fuel gamble might hold, light rain began to fall in Turn 1 on Lap 156, causing the fifth caution of the night. The rain intensified quickly, and officials red-flagged the race on Lap 157, freezing all cars on pit road with no service allowed.
After a tense delay, the race was set for overtime, and Wallace’s nerve would be tested again.
On the first restart on Lap 162, Wallace lined up inside with Larson to his outside. He got the jump into Turn 2, but disaster struck behind him. Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Rheem Toyota collided with Zane Smith’s No. 38 Aaron’s Rent To Own Ford, sending Smith into the wall and bringing out the sixth caution.
That set up a second overtime restart on Lap 167, with the same front-row formation. Once again, Wallace surged ahead into Turn 1. This time, there was no incident, and the race stayed green to the end.
Larson pushed hard on the final lap, diving high and low, searching for any weakness in Wallace’s defense. But Wallace held his line and didn’t flinch, crossing the finish line just 0.222 seconds ahead of Larson in a thrilling conclusion.
Burnouts and Bricks
After surviving fuel drama, a charging rival, and two restarts, Wallace had just enough left in the tank—literally and figuratively—to celebrate in style. After his cooldown lap, he returned to the frontstretch and lit up the yard of bricks with a series of smoky burnouts, adding a little flair to a historic moment.
Hamlin, who started dead last in 39th, completed an impressive rally to finish third in the No. 11 Progressive Toyota. Ryan Preece finished fourth in the No. 60 Castrol The Engine Ford, and Brad Keselowski, winner of the 2018 Brickyard 400, rounded out the top five in the No. 6 Body Guard Ford.
In-Season Challenge Wraps with a $1 Million Prize
The race also marked the end of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, a single-elimination tournament held over the last four races. Ty Gibbs, driving the No. 54 SAIA LTL Freight Toyota, clinched the $1 million bonus despite finishing 21st, outplacing his final-round opponent Ty Dillon, who ended up 28th.
The tournament added another layer of drama to a race already filled with intensity, unpredictability, and historic achievement.
Misfortunes and Missed Chances
Several drivers showed speed early but didn’t get the ending they wanted. Austin Cindric led the most laps—40 in total—all during the first half of the race in the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford. But disaster struck on Lap 84, when he suffered a right-rear tire failure while leading by six seconds. The blown tire forced him out of contention and ended what looked like a dominant run.
Chase Briscoe, the pole sitter and native of Mitchell, Indiana, led 34 laps in front of his home-state crowd in the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota but faded late and finished 18th.
A Race to Remember
Wallace’s win not only marks a personal and professional breakthrough but also reinforces the rising status of 23XI Racing. The team, founded just a few years ago, now has a Brickyard 400 trophy to its name—one that will be remembered as much for its tension and perseverance as for its speed.
With the playoffs now in his pocket and momentum on his side, Wallace has positioned himself as a driver to watch heading into the final stretch of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wallace repeated after the race. And for fans who watched him grit through overtime pressure, unpredictable weather, and fuel doubts, it truly was.
