Bubba Wallace Makes History as First Black Driver to WIN At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

" I didn't hear the noise today. I just heard the opportunity and seized it." 

That is how the 2025 Brickyard 400 winner, Bubba Wallace, summed up his historic win in the 23 car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR has run races at INDY since 1994, but today, Bubba Wallace became the first black driver ever to "kiss the bricks".

After finishing fifth in last year's Brickyard 400, the 23XI team had a right to be hungry coming into this year's race. Bubba Wallace had the fastest track time during qualifying on Friday until the hometown favorite Chase Briscoe nipped him by a tenth of a second. Going into the race, Bubba sat on the playoff bubble. Thanks to a second-place finish in stage one, he was able to secure much-needed playoff points.

The 23 car stayed near the top of the field for the majority of the race. In total, he led 30 out of 168 laps around the 2.5-mile oval. Fortunately for Bubba, all thirty came towards the back end of the race. 

To win it all and make history, Bubba had to beat one of the best at INDY, Kyle Larson. Kyle Larson was last year's Brickyard 400 winner and is known for his double shifts. He likes to run both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's iteration on the same day. If anyone knows this track, it's him. That made the duel between Bubba and Kyle even more remarkable—the emerging underdog versus the seasoned veteran. 

Weather reports from earlier in the day indicated a potential for rain. That midwestern drizzle waited until the final five laps of the race. The rain only affected turns one and two, but it was enough to bring the drivers back onto pit road. I sat in front of my TV throughout the entire 45-minute delay thinking about one thing.. fuel. Both Wallace and Larson were down to their last 10-15%. There was no opportunity for either Wallace or Larson to grab fuel without losing precious track position. And under caution, the laps kept rolling by. 

Once the rain passed, we were set for overtime—the first one. Bubba Wallace darted ahead of Kyle Larson on the restart. But as the field rounded turn two, headed towards the back straight away, Christopher Bell bumped into the back of Zane Smith, sending him sideways as Bubba was only moments away from the white flag. 

The field reset for the second time. Bubba Wallace again darted ahead of Kyle Larson, taking the lead out of turn one. This time, we've got the sprint to the finish we've all been waiting for. By the time the field came around to the white flag, Bubba had pressed a half-second lead on Kyle, securing his first victory in 100 races. 

NASCAR has raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1994. Racing at INDY itself dates back generations. Today, Bubba Wallace became the third black driver ever to qualify and compete on the course. He follows in the footsteps of Willy T. Ribbs, who in 1991 was the first black driver to ever pilot a Formula One car. In 2002, George Mack became the second black driver to compete. He finished 17th.

Bubba's victory at one of NASCAR's "Crown Jewel" events will forever be remembered by race fans of all backgrounds. He joins a pantheon of drivers like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick, who congratulated Bubba in person during the post-race show.