Michael Jordan Congratulates Bubba Wallace on 1st NASCAR Cup Series Win

Bubba Wallace earned the victory in Monday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway and a shout-out from a certain co-owner of his 23XI Racing team in the process.

"I'm so happy for Bubba and our entire 23XI Racing team," Michael Jordan said. "This is a huge milestone and a historic win for us. From the day we signed him, I knew Bubba had the talent to win and Denny and I could not be more proud of him. Let's go!"

Wallace became the second Black driver to win a race at NASCAR's top Cup Series level. It was his first win for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

Wallace earned the win when NASCAR called the race for rain after a lengthy delay. He took the lead five laps before what was the second delay of the race by avoiding a crash.

Wendell Scott was the first Black driver to win at the top level, and he did so in 1963.

"I never think about those things," Wallace said on the broadcast after the race when asked about the historic win. "When you say it like that, it obviously brings a lot of emotion, a lot of joy to my family, fans, friends. It's pretty damn cool, so, just proud to be a winner in the Cup Series."

It was particularly notable given his history at Talladega.

As the Associated Press (via ESPN) noted, NASCAR found a noose in the garage that Wallace was supposed to use at the track in June 2020. It was found shortly after NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at its events, which is something Wallace encouraged the association to do.

Though the FBI investigated and later determined it was not a hate crime because the noose had been there for months, Wallace's fellow drivers showed their solidarity by standing with him and his car at the front of the grid prior to the race.

As for the NASCAR playoffs, next up is the final race of the second round at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Hamlin, who finished in seventh place Monday, is the only driver who has clinched a spot in the third round.