Wallace Wins Brickyard 400 Amid Rain Delays and Overtime Drama
Indianapolis, IN – Bubba Wallace captured the most significant victory of his career at the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday afternoon, securing his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The win marks his third career victory and ends a 100-race winless streak dating back to September 2022.
Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota navigated through a late-race rain shower and two overtime restarts, ultimately crossing the finish line 0.222 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson. With four laps remaining in regulation, Wallace maintained a comfortable lead until NASCAR deployed a caution due to inclement weather, marking the fifth caution of the race.
After a brief delay to dry the track, the race resumed with Wallace retaking the lead on the initial overtime restart. However, a five-car pileup on the backstretch necessitated a second overtime period. Wallace, uncertain about his fuel levels, opted to remain on track and regained the lead, successfully maintaining it to the end.
Wallace led for a total of 30 laps, including the critical final 26 laps as the race extended eight circuits beyond the scheduled 160. Reflecting on the victory, Wallace stated, “I’m just so proud of this team… to win here at the Brickyard, knowing how big this race is, is unbelievable.”
Denny Hamlin, co-owner of Wallace’s 23XI Racing team, finished third after starting in a backup car due to a crash in qualifying. Ty Gibbs secured a $1-million bonus in the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, finishing 21st against Ty Dillon’s 28th place.
Ryan Preece placed fourth, yet remains 42 points below the playoff cut line with four races left in the regular season. Brad Keselowski followed closely in fifth, marking his third top-five result of the season. Other top-10 finishers included Todd Gilliland, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, and Carson Hocevar.
Austin Cindric led the race with 40 laps but faced challenges later in the race. William Byron’s bid to reclaim the series lead faltered when he ran out of fuel during the final restart, finishing 16th and trailing teammate Chase Elliott by four points in the standings.
Results:
- Bubba Wallace
- Kyle Larson
- Denny Hamlin
- Ryan Preece
- Brad Keselowski
- Todd Gilliland
- Ryan Blaney
- Christopher Bell
- Alex Bowman
- Carson Hocevar
Cindric’s dominance and Byron’s fuel issue underscored the unpredictable nature of racing, with playoff implications tightening as the season approaches its final stretch.
