Wallace wins as SVG fights to top 20

Bubba Wallace drove to his first win in three years at the Brickyard 400, while Shane van Gisbergen battled hard to get into the top 20.

The return of oval racing for the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis was a classic, producing a double Overtime finish after a rain delay.

Wallace held his nerve and edged out Kyle Larson by just two tenths to return to victory lane for the first time since Kansas 2022.

It also secured a coveted Playoff spot for the 23XI Racing driver with only 16 making the cut with just four races left.

“To overcome so much and to put these people in Victory Lane, that’s what it’s all about,” Wallace said. 

“These people keep pushing me, believing in me. Man, just so proud. So proud of this team. 

“That adrenaline rush is crazy, ‘cause I’m coming off that right now—and I’m worn out.”

Larson lamented the inability to overtake around the fast and open Indianapolis and even felt victory was not possible.

“There’s nothing you can do here to pass, so, no, I don’t really think there was anything I could do differently,” said Larson. 

“I was second gear on the first restart, and honestly, that one worked out a little bit better, but he almost got clear of me down the frontstretch.

“And then on the second restart, he brought the pace down a little bit slower, so I needed to be first gear. 

“It was kind of the same thing with me last year—he had the preferred lane on the inside, and it’s really hard to beat that.”

Starting from his best oval qualifying effort, van Gisbergen fought hard to be 19th.

It was his fifth top 20 on an oval this year and might have been his hardest.

The Trackhouse Racing Kiwi complained about his #88 Chevrolet throughout the race, lamenting a lack of grip and series of vibrations.

NASCAR Cup Series heads to Iowa this weekend.

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