Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, surviving a late rain delay, two overtimes, concerns over running out of fuel and a hard-charging Kyle Larson on Sunday in the Brickyard 400.
The third NASCAR Cup victory of Wallace’s career was also his most significant his first win at one of the series’ four crown jewel races. It snapped a 100-race winless streak that dated to 2022 at Kansas. He also won at Talladega in 2021, but this milestone victory also gave him a playoff spot.
No Black driver has won the Indianapolis 500, and Formula 1 raced on the track’s road course. And while the final gap was 0.222 seconds, Wallace didn’t reach victory lane without some consternation