23XI Racing makes history as Bubba Wallace becomes the first black driver to win at Indianapolis

23XI Racing, a three-car team that Bubba Wallace drives for in the NASCAR Cup Series, made history last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The credit goes to Wallace’s victory that day, which also made him the first Black driver to win at the 2.5-miler.

23XI Racing is currently engaged in a legal battle with NASCAR. It all started last year when the team denied signing the sport’s newest charter agreement and filed an antitrust lawsuit instead. As per the latest ruling by the U.S. Federal Court, 23XI Racing was labelled unchartered for the races at IMS and Iowa Speedway the following week.

But in the end, it somehow worked in favor of the Huntersville, North Carolina-based outfit, which is jointly owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin. On Sunday, July 27, 23XI became the first ever open team to win on a non-drafting style, oval racetrack.

Dalton Hopkins on X (formerly known as Twitter) reported the news, saying,

“23XI Racing is the first ever unchartered team to win on a non-drafting oval.”

Dalton Hopkins

@PitLaneCPT

LINK

@23XIRacing is the first ever unchartered team to win on a non-drafting oval

#NASCAR #Brickyard400

Named Brickyard 400, the crown jewel event marked the 22nd race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Rounding up the top five spots were Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski. Next up for the drivers is the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway.

Scheduled for this coming Sunday, August 3, the 350-lap event will be televised on the USA network, 3:30 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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“I have found my biggest problem”- 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace comes clean on his NASCAR hurdles

With his most recent victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace snapped a 100-race winless streak. One could say that it had been quite a slump for the 23XI Racing icon, who is currently in his eighth full season in the Cup Series.

Pointing to his head, the Alabama native said in a post-race interview (as quoted by NASCAR),

“I have found my biggest problem, and that’s this. If I could shut that off mentally, fully, we could do a lot more of this.”

“I was combating, and I’m like, (expletive) right, we can do this. It was kind of like the angel and devil on your shoulder. It wasn’t all negative. But to even have that thought, it’s like, 'Man, come on. Focus.' That all went away on the restarts because it was time to really focus and get the job done,” he added recalling the closing moments of the race.

As things stand, Bubba Wallace is now in the playoffs, alongside his 23XI Racing boss, Denny Hamlin. He is also the only one from the 23XI camp so far who has made the postseason in 2025.