Bubba Wallace is officially a NASCAR race winner. The driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota won a day-delayed and rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday for the first checkered flag of his career and the first win for his team, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, in its debut season.
Wallace — currently the only Black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series — also made history by becoming the second Black driver to ever win at the sport’s top level, joining Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, who won in 1963.
After the Yellawood 500 was delayed from Sunday to Monday because of rain, NASCAR made it through 117 laps before having to pause again because of weather. Unable to continue and because the race was more than halfway over, NASCAR declared Wallace the official winner.
WOOOOOO on 3!!! https://t.co/5FnV1BCCEP
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) October 4, 2021
And many in the NASCAR world erupted with excitement over 27-year-old Wallace’s first career win. (Sure, there are plenty of haters out there saying nasty and racist things or that he didn’t really win because the race was shortened, but we’re not talking about them.)
From retired drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Tennessee football to racing fans, the congratulating messages on Twitter were pouring in for Wallace’s victory.