Bubba Wallace Stretches Fuel, Holds Off Kyle Larson for Brickyard 400 Victory

Bubba Wallace held off Kyle Larson and saved every drop of fuel he needed to win Sunday's Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

Wallace held off Larson through two overtime attempts following a lap 156 stoppage for rain, sending the crown jewel event beyond its scheduled distance. The win punched Wallace's ticket into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and earned him the biggest victory of his career.

While waiting out the rain delay, especially with fuel concerns, there was plenty of time for Wallace to think about how the race could go wrong. Instead, everything went to plan and he stood tall in victory lane at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"I'm wore out," said Wallace. "I've thought about every which way to Sunday besides driving a race car during that red flag. Oh my gosh, man. Just so proud of this team. That adrenaline rush is crazy, because I'm coming off that right now."

It is Wallace's first NASCAR Cup Series win since 2022, when he won at Kansas Speedway. All three of his Cup Series wins have come with 23XI Racing, which he joined at the team's inception ahead of the 2021 season.

"I just want to thank everybody behind me right here," said Wallace. These guys, all the men and women at Airspeed, for making this possible."

"That's what it's about, is these people that continue to push me and believe in me. I'm just so proud, I appreciate all you guys."

There are plenty of reasons for Wallace to soak in the joy of Sunday's win. The crown jewel win erases any concern about Wallace making the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after sitting near the bubble for most of the summer.

"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 sitting on the cutline.

"I'm already winning at life. I've got the best wife, the best kid. People are always going to say something. I am excited to see how far the goalposts are going to move. I get to go chase that now.

"How many days since my last win? That's right. Zero."

Larson finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin. The RFK Racing teammats of Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five.

Hamlin started in the 39th and final starting spot in the field after crashing during his qualifying run on Saturday. With his third-place finish, he closed to within 28 points of Chase Elliott for the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points standings.

With a 21st-place finish, Ty Gibbs defeated Ty Dillon (28th) to win the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Gibbs shared he would donate $10,000 of the $1 million prize from the tournament to a charity of Dillon's choosing.

The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series is Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol. Racing begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 3, with coverage on USA, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

-Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade, Lumen Digital Agency for Toyota Gazoo Racing