To NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, Sunday’s event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came down to the final two restarts. The top two competitors, eventual winner Bubba Wallace and Larson, were low on fuel.
Both teams crunched the mileage figures during the late rain delay. Both teams entered the overtime session prepared to risk it all to capture the “Crown Jewel” race.
On the first restart, the restart pace forced Larson into a second-gear launch, while Wallace started in first gear and retained the advantage. On the second restart, Larson attempted to “hang on to (Wallace’s) right-rear quarter,” but couldn’t clear the No. 23 Toyota, which won by 0.222 seconds.
“I’m in the car, I don’t really know their strategy, and then our team’s trying to piece it together the best that they can,” Larson said, as reported by NASCAR.com.
Larson (+350), the 2021 series titleholder, held the top sports-betting odds to earn the 2025 circuit championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Wallace said he tried to remain confident in the team’s fuel calculations and is working on developing more self-confidence.
“It was probably 20 laps of telling myself I’m not going to be able to do it,” Wallace said, pointing to his head to emphasize one of his biggest professional challenges. “So I have found my biggest problem, and that’s this (pointing to his head). If I could shut that off mentally, fully, we could do a lot more of this.
“At the same time, I was combating, and I’m like, (expletive) right, we can do this. It was kind of like the angel and devil on your shoulder. It wasn’t all negative. But to even have that thought, it’s like, ‘Man, come on. Focus.’ That all went away on the restarts because it was time to really focus and get the job done.
“Just still working out those kinks and growing as a person. It’s just really cool to be sitting here in front of you guys, so I appreciate it.”
Congratulations to Bubba Wallace for becoming the first Black driver to win the Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway! pic.twitter.com/NESRSf9cPY
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 29, 2025
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds
Here is a Week 23 look at the drivers’ odds for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series drivers’ championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +350 |
| Denny Hamlin | +400 |
| Christopher Bell | +550 |
| Ryan Blaney | +650 |
| William Byron | +700 |
| Chase Elliott | +900 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1400 |
| Joey Logano | +1600 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2500 |
| Bubba Wallace | +3400 |
| Chris Buescher | +3400 |
| Alex Bowman | +3700 |
| Josh Berry | +4000 |
| Austin Cindric | +4000 |
| Carson Hocevar | +4000 |
| Kyle Busch | +5000 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | +5000 |
| Ty Gibbs | +5000 |
| Brad Keselowski | +7500 |
| Ryan Preece | +13000 |
| Austin Dillon | +25000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +25000 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +25000 |
| Erik Jones | +30000 |
| Noah Gragson | +30000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +30000 |
| Michael McDowell | +30000 |
| Zane Smith | +50000 |
| Justin Haley | +50000 |
| Todd Gilliland | +50000 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +50000 |
| Cole Custer | +50000 |
| Ty Dillon | +50000 |
| Riley Herbst | +50000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
