Wallace is now a two-time Cup Series winner and the first Black man with multiple NASCAR Cup Series race wins ever.
Bubba Wallace did not make the playoffs, but he’s racing in them. Wallace came close to winning a few times in the regular season, most notably finishing side-by-side with the race winner at the start/finish line in the season-opening Daytona 500, but he did not get the win he needed to qualify in a season where 16 different drivers won before the playoffs. However, Wallace’s teammate and 2022 race winner Kurt Busch was forced to miss the playoffs as he recovered from an injury suffered at Pocono. Wallace and his team moved to Busch’s No. 45 for the remainder of the season, allowing him to race for an owner’s championship instead.
Wallace started that chase with a top ten last weekend. Now, he’s got a race win in the No. 45 to go with his win in the No. 23 last year.
Wallace chased down the leading Alex Bowman on the second-to-last stint, passing him just before the day’s final pit stops. A quick run onto and off the pit lane grew that lead to three seconds, a lead he held through traffic first over Christopher Bell and then Wallace’s 23XI Racing team owner, Denny Hamlin. While Hamlin got within a second and a half late, Wallace was never seriously pressured again and went on to take his second career win.
It’s a big one. Wallace’s win at Talladega last season after the race was shortened for rain; this win came in regulation. That win also came without any playoff implications; this win locks Wallace and the No. 45 into the next round of the owner’s championship and Wallace will still have a chance to contribute to what would effectively be half of a split championship. Wallace not only outran the entire field but beat out strong races from Toyota’s lead Joe Gibbs Racing program, including a late charge from his own team owner.
Additionally, the second career win makes Bubba Wallace the first Black driver to ever win multiple NASCAR Cup Series races. It adds to the historic feat he accomplished last year, joining Wendell Scott to become the second-ever Black NASCAR Cup Series winner.
Behind Wallace, the day’s major surprises were DNFs for Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick. Harvick crashed on his own early, while Reddick’s race-ending damage came when he blew a tire from the race lead. Harvick will effectively need a race win at Bristol next weekend to advance. Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Chase Briscoe all sit within ten points of the cutoff line and can advance with strong races. Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric are all within just ten points of the good side of the cutoff line and will be in imminent danger of being eliminated next weekend, too.
With two non-playoff winners in two races, only Christopher Bell is officially locked into the next round of the driver’s championship on points. Wallace is locked into the owner’s championship, but the No. 45 team does not have a driver representative in the playoffs. The four cuts in this round will be made after next weekend’s race at Bristol.
Keyword: Bubba Wallace Wins Kansas In Kurt Busch's No. 45