INDIANAPOLIS — Over the last few weeks, Bubba Wallace has had consistent finishes.
He used the five-overtime race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway to his advantage, coming home seventh. Wallace ended up 13th at the Chicago Street Course and recorded a top 10 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway – one of his better tracks.
But sitting below the Cup Series playoff line, Wallace continued to swim upstream. That was until Sunday’s 30th Anniversary of the Brickyard 400, where he finished fifth and took a chunk out of his deficit to Ross Chastain for the final playoff spot.
Chastain finished 15th, allowing his margin above the cutline to slip from 27 to the good to just seven.
But while Chastain didn’t earn any stage points, Wallace put together close to a complete afternoon. As many teams struggled to pass, the 23XI Racing driver picked his way toward the front and used a little strategy by staying out during a lap 72 caution. The Mobile, Ala., native took the lead on lap 76 and led the next 26 circuits, picking up the Stage Two win in the process.
“We finally (expletive) got a stage win, holy (expletive),” Wallace celebrated on the radio.
He brought his No. 23 car down for service during the break, and just 10 laps later under yellow, pitted again for what would be his final service of the day.
Other drivers such as Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick ended up on an alternate strategy, pitting later under green and using cautions to their advantage with fresher tires. Larson ended up winning with Reddick following in second.
Still, it was a successful final stint for Wallace, who drove back inside the top five for his best result since Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in early April.
“We were fifth – what a day,” Wallace said after the race. “I just did not do a good job on Friday and Saturday and set us behind for track position. I really didn’t know what our car had, but I knew the people we had on it and that is what matters the most.
“I appreciate Bootie (Barker, crew chief) and the gang for just giving me a car to work with. The No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry was really, really fast. It felt really good. After a few laps, I was like, I don’t know what we have – but it is good to be back on the oval.
“The finish is making my mood better, but it was really difficult to pass. All-in-all, a good day. A good points day.”
After a two-week break, Wallace will have four weeks to make it into the playoffs for the second consecutive season. It’ll start with a trip to Richmond (Va.) Raceway before Michigan Int’l Speedway, Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway concludes the regular season.