The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2025 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.
Bubba Wallace overcame fuel concerns and held off Kyle Larson in double overtime to earn a dramatic and historic victory in the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Wallace edged 2024 Brickyard winner Larson by .222 of a second in the No. 23 Chumba Casino Toyota for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. The win snapped Wallace’s 100-race NASCAR Cup Series drought dating back to fall 2022 and made him the first African American driver to win the crown jewel event at IMS.
“That adrenaline rush is crazy,” Wallace said. “I’m worn out. To win here at the Brickyard, knowing how big this race is, knowing all the noise in the background, to set that all aside is a testament to this 23 team.
“How many days since my last win? Zero.”
Hamlin climbed from the 39th and final starting spot to finish third in the No. 11 Progressive Toyota. Ryan Preece took fourth in the No. 60 Castrol The Engine Ford and 2018 Brickyard winner Brad Keselowski completed the top five in the No. 6 Body Guard Ford.
Ty Gibbs finished 21st to secure a $1 million bonus for Joe Gibbs Racing as the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge champion, edging Ty Dillon, who finished 28th.
Wallace took the lead for good when Ryan Blaney pitted on Lap 143, holding a 4.9-second advantage over 23XI teammate Tyler Reddick. Larson moved to second by Lap 146 but trailed by more than five seconds before steadily cutting into Wallace’s lead, trimming it to just over three seconds by Lap 154.
But Wallace had a looming problem: fuel mileage. His final pit stop came on Lap 117, near the limit of the expected 40-lap fuel window. Larson, who stopped on Lap 121, appeared to have enough gas to attack to the finish. As the tension mounted, light rain in Turn 1 brought out a caution on Lap 156. The rain intensified, triggering a red flag on Lap 157. Cars stopped on pit road with no service allowed, setting up overtime.
The first restart came on Lap 162 with Wallace inside and Larson outside. Wallace held the advantage through Turn 2 before a crash between Christopher Bell and Zane Smith brought out another caution. That set up the final restart on Lap 167 with the same front-row alignment. Wallace surged ahead in Turn 1 and defended flawlessly through the final lap, with Larson searching high and low but never finding a lane to make a move.
Austin Cindric led 40 laps, most in the race, before a right-rear tire failure on Lap 84 ended his bid while leading by six seconds. Pole sitter Chase Briscoe, from Mitchell, Indiana, led 34 laps but finished 18th.