Bubba Wallace reveals what Michael Jordan told him after his first NASCAR victory as a father

Bubba Wallace outpaced Kyle Larson to win Sunday’s Brickyard 400 Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With that, he snapped a 100-race winless streak and became the first Black driver to win at the Indiana-based racetrack.

NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who also co-owns 23XI Racing (the team Wallace drives for), wasn’t in attendance during the 160-lap event. However, he was quick to get on a post-race call with Wallace to congratulate the driver.

When asked about his conversation with the former NBA legend, Wallace said (via TNT Sports),

“He was just so proud. I said I wish you were here for it, he was like, he’s going to have a drink or two for me tonight. So we’ll be celebrating together in spirit.”

Bubba Wallace became the first driver from the 23XI camp to make this year’s playoffs. The victory was the third of his NASCAR Cup Series career and the first in the series’ crown jewel events.

Wallace had to battle the defending race winner and Cup Series champion Kyle Larson during the closing laps. It wasn’t raining anymore, and Wallace was left thinking about a new strategy with just four laps to go.

“The whole time I’m thinking are we going? Are we not?” Wallace said in a statement (quoted by NBC). “I will say I leaned more towards ‘I know we’re going to go back racing. Be ready. Don’t get complacent here.”

But Wallace beat Larson twice on two consecutive restarts and pulled away, keeping the Hendrick Motorsports ace from becoming the race’s fourth back-to-back winner.

Next up for Wallace is the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway. Fans can watch the race on the USA Network (Sunday, August 3, 3:30 pm ET onwards) or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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"You don’t know if you can do it anymore”- Bubba Wallace opens up on “difficult journey” amid his winless streak

Bubba Wallace is currently in his eighth full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. But the last time he won a race in the No. 23 Toyota Camry was at Talladega back in 2022, his third season with 23XI Racing.

That win made him the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963. Sunday’s win was much needed for the Alabama native. Recalling his winless journey, the driver said,

“It’s been an incredibly fun but difficult journey. I remember when Blaney won the 600 after being in a drought and said, 'You don’t know if you can do it anymore. It was going on three years, four years in the No. 23, my last one was in the No. 45."

Bubba Wallace was talking about the time when he filled in for former Cup driver Kurt Busch in the No. 45 car. Busch, on the other hand, sat out due to a concussion that he sustained at Pocono Raceway.