Bubba Wallace won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, and he had a message for his critics afterwards.
The driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry led 58 laps and took home the checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series race. He enjoyed being able to stick it to his critics.
“Just so proud. Pit crew was awesome today. Just thankful. Thankful for the opportunity. And thankful to shut the hell up for a lot of people,” Wallace said in his post-race interview with NBC Sports.
Wallace is the only black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, which leads to scrutiny about whether he can win on the track. He has many fans, and seemingly just as many detractors.
He proved again on Sunday that he can.
Wallace took over the lead with 43 laps to go and did not surrender it, not even to his team owner, Denny Hamlin, who finished second.
For the second straight Cup Series race, a non-playoff driver was victorious: Last week it was Erik Jones winning at Darlington, and this week it was Bubba Wallace winning at Kansas.