NASCAR: 3 lessons learned from Bubba Wallace’s first win
By Randy Smith
Bubba Wallace made NASCAR history in more ways than one when he earned his first career victory at Talladega Superspeedway. Here are three lessons learned from his first win.
It has finally happened: Bubba Wallace is a NASCAR Cup Series race winner. The driver of the #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing earned his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway when the YellaWood 500 was shortened due to rain.
The race’s scheduled distance had been more than halfway competed, and a caution flag which would have ended stage two due to a wreck ended up leading into a red flag for bad weather.
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NASCAR elected to try to reclaim the track, but Mother Nature had other plans. Wallace had driven up to the lead before the wreck, and he was on track to win stage two.
The caution and subsequent rainout ended up benefiting him in more ways than one, as he earned his first career win in NASCAR’s top series, making him only the second African-American driver to win in the series and the first since Wendell Scott did so in 1963.
While Wallace’s new ride at the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing was one of the biggest stories heading into the 2021 season, it was unclear if and when that first win would come. Now that is out of the way, as 23XI Racing and Wallace are Cup Series race winners.
Here are three lessons learned from Wallace’s first career win.
Lesson No. 1: 23XI Racing already have their teammates on the same page
Coming to the end of stage two, Wallace had help from his soon-to-be teammate. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch played a small part in Wallace’s win. It is nearly impossible for a driver to win a superspeedway race on his own, so it’s always a bonus when you can get help in the draft and decent pushes on the straightaways.
That’s exactly what Busch did for Wallace, and he even threw a couple of blocks throughout the last few laps.
It was confirmed over the summer that Busch will be joining 23XI Racing to drive the #45 Toyota next year. With Busch’s current team, Chip Ganassi Racing, set to be acquired by Trackhouse Racing Team, and Busch’s current teammate, Ross Chastain, well behind him, it only made sense for Busch to help his future teammate.
Busch is no stranger to having the help of teammates himself, with Chastain blocking younger brother Kyle at Atlanta Motor Speedway this past summer. This allowed the elder Busch to grab his first win this season.
With Chastain too far behind at Talladega Superspeedway, Busch paid it forward to his 2022 teammate, and combined with a well-timed block on Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, Wallace was able to stay out front to grab his first win. The chemistry between Busch and Wallace seems be there already, making the two-car team a threat next year.