For the first time in nearly 58 years, a Black driver has won in NASCAR’s premier division.
Bubba Wallace won today’s rain-shortened NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
He becomes the second Black driver to win a Cup race, joining Hall of Famer Wendell Scott who won in 1963.
.@BubbaWallace becomes the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since #NASCARHOF inductee Wendell Scott in 1963. pic.twitter.com/5lVzMFxjnB
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 4, 2021
With rain threatening the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Wallace took the lead for the first time at Lap 113 in the scheduled 188-lap distance.
Three laps later, Ryan Preece was spun out of the pack and collected William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto to bring out the caution.
The skies then opened up and the race was red flagged.
NASCAR assembled and deployed their fleet of track dryers.
As that work continued, NASCAR ordered crews to seek shelter shortly after 4:10 p.m. ET due to a lightning strike within eight miles of the track.
Then, at 4:27 p.m. ET, with rains continuing, NASCAR officially called the race and the celebration was on for Wallace and his 23XI Racing team.
“Part of me was just sitting there waiting,” Wallace told NBC Sports about the moments before the race was officially his. “‘It’s not over with. Just sit there, bide our time. If we go racing again, that’s fine. We’ll put ourselves in position.’ But we had so many cool fans behind us in the pit box, just cheering for it to rain, so it kind of amped up the intensity a little bit.”
In additional post-race comments, Wallace said that matching Scott’s accomplishment brought “a lot of joy, a lot of emotion to my family, fans and friends.”
He also noted that it was “fitting” his first win came at Talladega, where, in June 2020, a garage rope was found tied into a noose in his team’s stall.
Drivers and team members stood in solidarity with Wallace before the race.
An FBI investigation later ruled that there was no hate crime because the garage rope had been like that since the previous October and there was no way to know Wallace’s team would have that garage several months later.
Following the 2020 season, Wallace went on to join the new 23XI Racing, formed by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Cup star Denny Hamlin.
The team has had its struggles in its inaugural Cup campaign. But now, they and Wallace are the sport’s newest winners.
And Wallace stands to have an even bigger platform for his efforts to make NASCAR a more inclusive sport.
“This is for all those kids out there who want to have an opportunity, in whatever they want to achieve, to be the best in what they want to do,” said Wallace. “You’re gonna go through a lot of bullshit. But you’ve always got to stay true to your path and not let the nonsense get to you and stay strong. Stay humble. Stay hungry.
“There have been plenty of times where I’ve wanted to give up, but you surround yourself with the right people. It’s moments like this that you appreciate.”
Brad Keselowski finished second, followed by Joey Logano in third, Kurt Busch in fourth and Christopher Bell in fifth. Keselowski, Logano and Bell are among the 12 remaining drivers in playoff contention.