Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard Glory: How the Brickyard 400 Reshapes NASCAR Playoff Outlook

The beauty of NASCAR is that everyone is on relatively equal footing. On any given day, the race can be won with enough skill, savvy, and luck. For Bubba Wallace, a victory at the historic Brickyard 400 was the reward for years of toil and adversity.

Wallace became the first Black driver ever to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. He did so after an 18-minute rain delay, a pair of overtimes, fears about running out of fuel, and a late charge from defending champion Kyle Larson.

An Epic Victory for Wallace

This marks the third NASCAR Cup victory in the career of Wallace. It is, however, his first win in one of the four crown jewel events of the series – the Brickyard 400, Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. Wallace also managed to snap a 100-race winless streak while simultaneously locking up a playoff spot.

When all was said and done, the final gap of victory was just 0.222 seconds. Larson managed to cut a more than five second deficit down to three seconds with six laps to go before a yellow flag signaled a stoppage for rain.

After re-starting the race, Wallace beat Larson through the second turn only for a crash behind him to force another stoppage. It gave the crew time to determine whether they had enough fuel to finish or whether to stop and refuel.

When the race started once more, Wallace bested Larson again and pulled away. A win by Larson would have made him the fourth back-to-back winner in the race’s history. After losing pole position on Saturday, Wallace was determined to not lose his spot again.

RFK and the Bubble

Coming into the race, it was do or die for Wallace. He held the final spot in the 16-racer playoff bracket but sat just 16 points over the cut-line. With pressure on, he had to deliver in order to secure his spot. By winning, he locked himself into a playoff spot, joining 12 other drivers.

As it stands, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Chris Buescher hold the final three playoff spots on points, but a lot can change. As of now, there is a battle on the playoff bubble between RFK Racing teammates. Buescher is currently in the final spot, 42 points ahead of teammate Ryan Preece with four remaining regular season races.

Both of them have been damaged by penalties this year, losing points along the way. Buescher lost 60 points when NASCAR determined that a front bumper cover was in violation of rules while Preece was disqualified after finishing second at Talladega.

Reddick is 138 points ahead of Preece and feels mostly secure. Bowman, sitting at 63 points ahead, can feel the heat. Bowman could be in real danger of falling out of the playoff picture if one of the drivers close to the cut-line steals a race.

Win or Bust

Preece is still in a semi-comfortable position to make the playoffs. With an 80-point lead over Kyle Busch, the next closest driver, there is a lot of margin for error. Busch and everyone close to him in the standings will need to focus on winning, not where they place.

Speaking of wins, there have been 13 winners this season and it is almost guaranteed that the regular season champion will be a driver with a win under their belt. With Iowa, Watkins Glen, Richmond, and Daytona remaining, there is plenty of potential for upset winners.

Locked into the playoffs are three drivers with at least three wins apiece: Denny Hamlin (four), Larson, Christopher Bell, and Shane van Gisbergen. William Byron and Chase Elliott are locked into the playoffs based on having enough points.

Looking Ahead to Iowa

The next race on the docket comes at Iowa. It will be just the second time a Cup race has taken place there with Ryan Blaney having won last year’s inaugural event. The pressure will be on for drivers like Carson Hocevar, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell, and Brad Keselowski who barely remain in the mix.

Given the limited history of this event at Iowa, it feels like anyone’s game. It could also give us a more certain playoff picture heading into the final three races of the season.

Drama Down the Stretch?

Though the playoff picture has given us a good idea of where we will finish, it is far from over. A win by Busch, Ty Gibbs, or AJ Allmendinger could put pressure on Preece, especially if he underperforms. Busch and Allmendinger have won a Cup race previously, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. In any event, things will be interesting as we hit the final stretch.