Denny Hamlin pulls curtain back on what Brickyard 400 win means for Bubba Wallace, 23XI

Winning the Brickyard 400 means something. To win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you have to have a fast racecar, nail your strategy and execute when it matters most. Bubba Wallace had and did all of that in Sunday’s race.

Wallace is a Crown Jewel race winner, and it came at a perfect time. For starters, it snapped a 100-race winless streak. It also clinched him a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Wallace’s victory was a popular one in the garage, as seen by the number of drivers who congratulated him after the race. It was a gratifying one for 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, he said on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast.

“It’s not your average race,” Hamlin said. “This race has always brought the best drivers, teams, engine departments — it’s always brought the best out of everyone. It’s a little bit different nowadays because of the Next Gen car and they’re all similar then what they used to be, so it’s not a total showcase of that. But look at all the guys that were battling up front: the 5 [Kyle Larson], the 24 [William Byron], the 11 [Hamlin], the 45 [Tyler Reddick]. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, it’s the same four to five every single week.

“Regardless of how hard it is to pass, it still is one that brings the best out. It makes you feel good that the 23 team was able to bring a car fast enough for Bubba to drive it as well as he did and execute all the restarts, all those things — just a very gratifying thing.”

How Bubba Wallace held on to win Brickyard 400

Wallace had to earn it. He assumed the lead after Ryan Blaney came down pit road on Lap 143 and had a near six-second lead over Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was closing the gap, though Wallace was on pace to hold on for the win.

But then, rain arrived at the racetrack. NASCAR issued the red flag with less than five laps to go in the race. Now, Wallace would have to hold off Larson, Hamlin, Byron and others in overtime. Wallace was close to running out of fuel, saving as much as he could during pace laps. He cleared Larson off the restart before a wreck in the back of the pack brought out another caution.

Wallace’s team made the call to stay out and go for the win in the second overtime. The decision paid off — Wallace cleared Larson again and raced his way to the checkered flag.

Denny Hamlin impressed by Bubba Wallace’s work ethic

Next stop for Wallace is a return to the postseason for the first time since 2023. His success is hardly surprising to Hamlin, who has noticed the work he’s put in over the last calendar year.

“He’s been working hard,” Hamlin said. “His crew chief [Charles Denike] has definitely been doing a great job of giving him what needs, asking the right questions to Bubba, holding him accountable — I think that’s the key. What I hope that Bubba gets out of this is seeing his hard work that he’s putting in is paying off. My toughest part, and it’s very hard to compare other drivers to myself, is that you can never make someone want it. They have to want it. That has to come from within, and how bad do you want it. Do you want to be elite? Do you want to be good or just another driver? That’s a question everyone needs to ask themselves and then what are you willing to do to be at that level.

“I think over the last year, Bubba has committed more to putting the work in and I feel as though he’s matured emotionally. Everyone has peaks and valleys — I think his valleys are higher now than what they were. You can relate it to having a son or whatever it might be, but it seems like over the last year, performance has gotten better in the 23 for various reasons, and I think a lot of that can be contributed to Bubba himself.”