NASCAR
Bubba Wallace Busts 100-Race Losing Drought in Brickyard 400
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Against seemingly every challenge, Bubba Wallace conquered a maiden crown jewel in the Brickyard 400. Stretching his final fuel tank almost 50 laps, Wallace silenced all doubters and beat the sport’s absolute best in double overtime. 23XI Racing’s flagship team and driver are now Playoff-bound for their first time, as the 13th different winner of 2025.
Polesitter and Hoosier racing hero Chase Briscoe stayed out front for much of Stage 1. Briscoe has the distinction of the first man in NASCAR history to take pole at the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400 in a single season. The reigning Southern 500 champion will try and make it a clean sweep of crown jewel poles in September. Pit strategy likewise saw Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney cycle forward to take Stage 2.
The final round of green flag pit stops appeared to fall in Penske’s favor, putting Joey Logano on point. The No. 22 Mustang unfortunately suffered a cut tire with 25 laps left. This handed the eventual lead to Bubba Wallace, who made his last pit stop on lap 119.
After navigating his way through traffic, defending Brickyard winner Kyle Larson moved into second. The No. 5 Chevrolet quickly began reeling in Wallace’s Toyota, only for his march forward to be halted by rain. Following a roughly 30-minute red flag, the race resumed with both drivers on each other’s doors for overtime.
The initial overtime only lasted half a lap, with a sideways Zane Smith triggering a second restart. Both times, Wallace had Larson cleared by turn two but fuel concerns ran aplenty in the 23 team. Wallace was instructed to flip his fuel reserve switch before the second OT went green, and had enough gas to cruise to victory lane.
“I’m wore out,” Wallace said climbing from his car victorious for the first time in 100 starts. “I thought about every which way to Sunday, besides driving a racecar, under that red flag. Oh my gosh, man. I’m just so proud of this team. That adrenaline rush is crazy, because I’m coming off that right now. And I’m wore out. Just want to thank everybody behind you right here, all these guys, all these men women at Airspeed, for making this possible.”
“I don’t see my wife and my kid, but welcome to victory lane Becks, that’s pretty cool officially, Daytona was Daytona. To overcome so much, and to put these people here in victory lane, that’s what it’s about, it’s about these people that continue to push in me, believe in me. And, man, just so proud, I appreciate all you guys. Thank you.”
“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 cut line.
“[Haters’ opinions] don’t matter. I’m already winning at life. I got the best wife, the best kid. People are always going to say something. I am excited to see how far the goalposts have moved. So I get to go and chase that now. So, how many days since my last one? That’s right, zero. Zero.”
Wallace beat Larson to the checkers, both were just ahead of 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, then the RFK Racing duo of Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski. The rest of the top-10 were: Todd Gilliland, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, and Carson Hocevar.
By virtue of finishing 21st, Ty Gibbs also captured the inaugural In-Season Challenge $1 million prize. Post-race, Gibbs did say he would make a $10,000 donation to a charity of rival Ty Dillon’s choice.
Wallace is now the 13th different winner to secure a 2025 Playoff berth. With four weeks remaining in the regular season, three spots are still up for grabs.
The Cup Series season roars onward next week from Iowa Speedway. The second running of the Iowa Corn 350 goes green Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Can Iowa be an infield of dreams for a possible 14th winner of 2025?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Justin Casterline/Getty Images
