Richard Petty Reveals Why He Won’t Congratulate Ex-Driver Bubba Wallace for Brickyard 400 win

Richard Petty made a shocking revelation that he did not congratulate Bubba Wallace on his victory at the iconic Brickyard 400.

Richard Petty Reveals Why He Won’t Congratulate Ex-Driver Bubba Wallace for Brickyard 400 win

Bubba Wallace (via AP), Richard Petty (via Getty)

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Bubba Wallace created history after becoming the first black driver to ever win a NASCAR race at the iconic Indianapolis circuit. Wallace was extremely overjoyed after ending his winless streak of over 100 races. However, despite the 31-year-old’s impressive race win at the Brickyard 400, NASCAR Legend Richard Petty, for whom the #23 driver raced in the past, revealed that he did not congratulate the former and the reasons behind it.

23XI Racing’s co-owner, Denny Hamlin, was also very pleased with his team winning a race after so long in NASCAR. And for the win to come at Indy, it added to the specialty of the victory. As such, he, alongside the other co-owner, Michael Jordan, congratulated Bubba Wallace on his impressive feat as the latter silenced all the critics by winning a race in such a stunning manner.

While many people celebrated and congratulated Bubba Wallace on his race win, the seven-time Cup Series champion did not bother to do so. Richard Petty had an extremely decorated career in stock-car racing, as his wishes to Wallace might have meant a lot. However, Petty didn’t do so, as he delved into the reasons behind this particular habit.

Richard Petty declared that he never congratulated any driver on achieving a race win at any circuit in NASCAR. Even the drivers that raced for his team, RPM, back in the day, did not receive applause from Petty, as the 31-year-old was no exception to this condition. The 88-year-old pointed out that the drivers were appointed by the team to go out on the track and win races, as it wasn’t really a big deal if they achieved a race win.

Now, I never congratulate anybody, okay. You know, even my drivers and stuff, you put them out there, you expect them to win the race, that’s what you put them out there for.

Richard Petty said via X, @therichardpetty.

Bubba Wallace makes history with 23XI Racing amidst their ongoing NASCAR lawsuit

The 23XI Racing team has been suffering from some disappointing circumstances in NASCAR recently. The team has a legal battle ongoing with the sport about its charter status. In the latest court ruling, the team lost their charter status as they declined an ‘en banc’ for the team. Because of this, 23XI ran as an unchartered team at the Brickyard 400 as Bubba Wallace achieved a race win despite these situations.

Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin (Via @dennyhamlin/X)

Now, with Bubba Wallace’s race win at Indianapolis, 23XI Racing has become the first ever unchartered team to win on a non-drafting oval circuit. The team and its crew were extremely excited by the victory as they received some great news amidst their ongoing legal battle. As such, 23XI is likely to get even more motivated by Wallace’s win and give it their all in the remaining races of the 2025 season.

Bubba Wallace has now locked his spot in the playoffs for the championship with five more races left in the regular season. The #23 driver will have to work hard and keep improving his form if he wants a realistic shot at the championship. Time will tell about how the remainder of the season pans out for the 23XI team and Wallace as they prepare for the massive challenge ahead of them.

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