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Bubba Wallace Becomes First Black Driver To Win At Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bubba Wallace made history as the first Black driver to win a race at the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Mobile native achieved this historic milestone by winning the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Cup race and claiming the checkered flag ahead of Kyle Larson. He even beat out his 23XI Racing Team co-owner Denny Hamlin, who finished in third place.

"Unbelievable," Wallace said about the moment he won. "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."

Wallace was a rookie in 2018 when he finished second to Austin Dillon at the Daytona 500. His next highest finish was another second-place ending behind rookie Austin Cindric at the 2022 Daytona 500.

What about his detractors now that he's won? "It doesn'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 move. So I get to go and chase that now. So how many days since my last win? Zero. Zero. Yeah, now it's zero."

Today's victory was his first win since the 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Speedway and second as a driver for the 23XI Racing team.

Over the past season, Denny Hamlin and the 23XI team were still supportive of Wallace after several DNF outings. Three weeks ago, Hamlin told a reporter, "You just can't panic with the situation they're in. I think if we were struggling for speed on that 23 car, then there would be a more heightened sense of alertness to like what's going on."

In 2014, Wallace became the first Black driver to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Sunday's win sets Wallace's historic triumph as a notable moment in professional car racing. No Black driver has previously won at the iconic oval in Indianapolis. He can now take the proverbial "monkey off his back" as he maintains his standings to reach the NASCAR playoffs.

Previous NASCAR coverage:

Rajah Caruth's Landmark Victory Secures Spot In NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs

Rajah Caruth leaned against his No. 71 car while sipping from his cup to stay hydrated before heading to Victory Lane.

After securing his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season at the 2025 Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 30, he embraced his family, girlfriend, and pit crew tightly.

The Winston-Salem State alum finished leading the final 51 laps 0.518 seconds ahead of Corey Heim and 0.629 seconds leading Layne Riggs, according to NASCAR.

"I didn't expect that at all," Caruth told Fox Sports pit road reporter Josh Sims. "Those guys were breathing out my neck the whole run. My pit crew won that race," crediting his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team.

Caruth faced intense competition from Corey Heim and Layne Riggs but ultimately celebrated his second victory in the Truck Series when the checkered flag was waved.

"I just was asking myself, how bad do you want it? I don't know. I just try my best, and we had clean air. And their stuff was better, but I just did my best. That was it."

The victory ended a 31-race winless streak and secured a playoff spot for Caruth and the No. 71 car of the Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado team. His next race will be on Sunday in the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.

The top twenty results from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race were as follows:

  1. Rajah Caruth, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  2. Corey Heim, No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota
  3. Layne Riggs, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 
  4. Daniel Hemric, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
  5. Corey Day, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  6. Kaden Honeycutt, No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
  7. Chandler Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 
  8. Ty Majeski, No. 98 Thorsport Racing Ford
  9. Bayley Currey, No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
  10. Grant Enfinger, No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet
  11. Dawson Sutton, No. 26 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet
  12. Jake Garcia, No. 13 Thorsport Racing Ford
  13. Giovanni Ruggiero, No. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota
  14. Ben Rhodes, No. 99 Thorsport Racing Ford 
  15. Kyle Busch, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  16. Tanner Gray, No. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota
  17. Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
  18. Luke Fenhaus, No. 66 Thorsport Racing Ford
  19. Andres Perez De Lara, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  20. Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet

Rajah Caruth is ranked No. 10 in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings. He has one victory in twelve starts and has led 186 laps, resulting in seven top-ten finishes, which earned him five playoff points. Corey Heim currently leads all drivers with 29 playoff points.

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This article first appeared on HBCUs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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