The biggest win of Bubba Wallace’s NASCAR Cup Series career to date caught the eye beyond the world of motorsports as the  23XI Racing driver piloted his No. 23 Toyota to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway following a dramatic race on the historic 2.5-mile oval.

After qualifying second, Wallace had to battle rain, double overtime, fuel concerns, and pressure from Kyle Larson in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet to reach the checkered flag ahead of his rival for his first win in 100 races. 

Wallace’s win attracted huge plaudits from across the NASCAR world, with drivers quick to congratulate the clearly emotional 31-year-old, although it wasn’t just racers who were keeping track of this historic win.

His win caught the eye of former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, now an NFL analyst, Robert Griffin III, who talked up the significance of his milestone win. 

“This is @BubbaWallace celebrating with his son, Becks, after making history as the first Black Driver to win a major race on Indianapolis’ oval. It’s bigger than sport,” former Heisman Trophy winner Griffin said on social media, accompanying a photo of Wallace laying on the asphalt with his 10-month-old son, Becks. “Bubba snapped his 100 race winless streak and MOST IMPORTANTLY got his 1st win as a Dad. You LOVE to see it.”

Perhaps the most memorable moment of Wallace’s celebrations came after taking a moment to share an embrace with his wife, Amanda, he picked up Becks and walked him over to the grandstand, holding him up in the air as the crowds erupted around them. 

Wallace later admitted that it was thinking about his son that, in part, helped spur him on to victory lane, as his attention began to drift. “I hate that I start counting the eggs before they hatch,” he told TNT Sports. “I start thinking of who to thank, how big the celebration is going to be, and then I go in and miss a corner… ‘Oh, oh, easy!’ Like focus.

“And my car was going extremely loose, and I cannot drive these things loose at all, and I started thinking, ‘Oh, man, this is it. This is over with.’ Then I started thinking about my son, started thinking about what MJ (team co-owner Michael Jordan) would say, and all of a sudden, the car got better, and it was like, ‘Oh, okay, this is our race still.’ 

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“And so those last 20 laps was just a surreal moment for me to just be a part of and be in the passenger seat for.”

However, Becks wasn’t the only family member in Wallace’s thoughts on Sunday, after they lost Amanda’s grandmother on Friday. “She was riding with us from the start of practice to qualifying and definitely in the race,” Wallace said.

As for Jordan, who was not in attendance during Sunday’s race, he spoke with Wallace shortly after the race concluded, telling the three-time race winner he was “so proud,” with Wallace going on to recall, “I said, ‘I wish you were here for it.’ He was like, he’s going to have a drink or two for me tonight. So we’ll be celebrating together in spirit.”

23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin, who finished third in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota, was also quick to congratulate Wallace, later sharing photos of them celebrating on the asphalt. “Kissing the bricks as an owner is bittersweet,” the 44-year-old admitted. “Wish I was doing it with my 11 team. They gave me everything I needed this weekend. But I’m happy for @BubbaWallace and @23XIRacing. They deserved it.”