Milestone for Bubba Wallace with his 1st NASCAR victory

TALLADEGA, Ala. >> Bubba Wallace was only the second black driver to win the NASCAR Cup series at the highest level when the rain stopped today’s playoff race on the Talladega Superspeedway.

Wallace had crashed five laps before the race’s second rain stop and moved to the front of the field. NASCAR tried to dry the track for almost 45 minutes but stalled when sunset drew near and the rain didn’t stop.

Wallace had been waiting in his pit stand and partying with his crew when the race was called. Wallace is racing for 23X1 Racing, a team owned by both Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, in his first season.

Wallace burst into tears as he returned to his parked number 23 Toyota. The car number was chosen for co-owner Jordan, who wore 23 in the NBA.

“This is for all the kids out there who have a chance and anything they want to achieve and be the best at what they want to do,” Wallace said as he suppressed tears. “You’re going to go through a lot (BS). But you always have to stay true to your path and not let the nonsense get you down.

“Stay strong. Stay humble. Stay hungry. I’ve wanted to give up many times.”

Wallace becomes the first black driver to win at the NASCAR Elite Cup level since Wendell Scott in 1963 – a race he was not declared the winner for several months. NASCAR finally presented Scott’s family with their trophy from that race two months ago.

Bill Lester, a black driver who drove intermittently in NASCAR from 1999 until a Truck Series start that season, tweeted his congratulations to Wallace.

“It’s finally official, you did it!” he posted. “So proud of you and what you have achieved. Your victory moves the NASCAR needle forward on so many fronts. I’m glad I was a witness. “

In June 2020, NASCAR discovered a sling in the garage assigned to Wallace in Talladega. The result came just a week after NASCAR, at Wallace’s urging, banned the Confederate flag from its events.

The FBI investigated and found that the noose was attached to the end of the garage door pull and had been there for months, meaning Wallace was not a victim of a hate crime. However, the entire industry gathered around him and stood at the top of the grid in solidarity with Wallace at his car before the race.

The flag ban is an issue in Talladega, where a convoy of vehicles has paraded up and down Speedway Boulevard in front of the Speedway’s main entrance on all four race weekends since NASCAR said it would not allow the symbol within its routes. The convoy was back that weekend and contained a car that was pulling a trailer that contained a Civil War-era cannon.

Wallace has called the noose incident a low point in his life. He was continuously harassed online, which last year even included a tweet from then-President Donald Trump falsely accusing Wallace of inventing the noose.

Wallace never saw the noose and was only told about it by NASCAR President Steve Phelps after the FBI was called to investigate. He said he never thought about the importance of winning his first Career Cup race on the same track in his native Alabama; he was born in Mobile.

“If you say that, it will of course bring a lot of emotion, a lot of joy to my family, my fans and my friends. It’s pretty cool, ”he said.

Wallace hit a makeshift victory lane in an empty garage to celebrate with his 23XI Racing team. The organization was founded a year ago and Wallace has been at the heart of all companies that have entered NASCAR in support of Wallace and his social justice efforts.

23XI will be expanded to two cars next season, with former series champion Kurt Busch joining the team.

Wallace’s win was his first in 142 Career Cup starts, despite having six wins in the Truck Series from 2013 to 2015.

No playoff driver has won a race at Talladega this weekend and only Denny Hamlin is already banned from the third round of the playoffs ahead of next week’s elimination race in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, celebrated with Wallace after finishing seventh.

“It’s just a lot more emotional because I know how difficult it is. These guys have worked so hard over the past 10 months to put this team together, ”said Hamlin. “We are still in the early stages of our team. We’re still growing. We have some great things on the horizon. It’s just a great morale booster for everyone. “

Brad Keselowski finished second, followed by teammate Joey Logano from Team Penske in two Fords. Busch finished fourth in a Chevrolet.

Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman and William Byron make their way to Charlotte in danger of being eliminated.

NEXT

The final race in the second round of the playoffs takes place at The Roval on Charlotte Motor Speedway. On the hybrid road course / oval, the field is trimmed from 12 to 8. Chase Elliott is the two-time defending champion in the Roval. His win last October was his first of three wins in the last five races that made Elliott his first Cup championship.