Bubba Wallace took home the win at Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas, playing spoiler to many in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Wallace regained the lead on Lap 225 of the 267-lap race, outpacing Denny Hamlin who chased him to no avail. Wallace crossed the finish line exactly one second ahead of Hamlin, who has finished second to a non-playoff driver for the second-consecutive playoff race. After the improbable victory, he took to Twitter to dedicate his victory to injured 23XI Racing teammate Kurt Busch.
Busch withdrew from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after suffering concussion-like symptoms in a crash during a controversial qualifying race at Pocono Raceway on July 24. After the withdrawal, Wallace took over Busch’s No. 45 car to keep 23XI Racing eligible for the NASCAR owner’s championship, which they qualified for by virtue of the No. 45 team’s win at Kansas Speedway earlier this season.
Wallace missed out on the playoffs due to a poor first half, but has strung together a series of strong performances throughout the summer highlighted by a second-place finish at Michigan.
