Bubba Wallace joined by 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin for the tradition of 'kissing the bricks'

Bubba Wallace secured his first win of the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As part of the tradition, Wallace kissed the bricks on the start-finish line. He was joined by fellow competitor Denny Hamlin, who owns the team he races for, 23XI Racing.

The tradition of kissing the "Yard of Bricks" honors IMS' history, back when the track was established with bricks in 1909. After former NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett started the tradition in 1996, the winners have kissed the bricks, including Jeff Gordon, a five-time Brickyard 400 winner.

This time, Wallace honored the track with several people, including his wife, Amanda, and team boss Denny Hamlin, who raced him in the closing laps of the 2025 Brickyard 400. NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck wrote on X.

“Denny (Hamlin) arrived and kissed the bricks, too,”

Wallace's biggest threat during the double OT at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was Kyle Larson. Wallace restarted alongside the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver on both OTs, though he was able to make good runs to clear his opponent.

The Brickyard 400 win is the Alabama native's third NASCAR Cup Series win and first crown jewel victory. He snapped a 100-race winless streak following his first-place finish at Kansas Speedway in 2022.

Bubba Wallace drove the #23 Toyota Camry to victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

Wallace is set to return to the NASCAR playoffs after missing the postseason last year. The last time he made the playoffs was on points in the 2023 season.

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Bubba Wallace drops a two-emoji social media update on his win at Indianapolis

Bubba Wallace updated his followers on X about winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He wrote a post containing the kiss and brick emojis, signifying the tradition of kissing the "Yard of Bricks" for winning at the historic 2.5-mile oval.

“😘🧱,” the #23 driver wrote.

Wallace will return to action at Iowa Speedway next week. He will arrive at the 0.875-mile short track circuit with a 16th-place finish from last year's edition. The race will be the fourth-to-last event before the playoffs begin.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua