DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Bubba Wallace had problems early and late on his first Daytona 500 driving to Michael Jordan on Sunday.
He still left the NASCAR race with another milestone, becoming the first black driver to lead a lap in the Daytona 500.
Wallace fell to the low line at the end of the second stage to grab the lead on lap 129 at No. 23 Toyota. He lost the lead to two-time champion Denny Hamlin – who owns the 23XI with Jordan – and took third at the end of the stage.
Wallace was caught in a chaotic and fiery last lap and finished 17th in a race won by Michael McDowell.
“He was running ahead and fighting for victories on the stage. That’s what we want to see,” said Hamlin of Wallace.
Wallace was forced to go into the pits 22 laps from the end of the race because he felt a vibration in the Toyota. He crashed a lap and pushed Hamlin to give his boss and teammate Toyota a nudge towards his run for the third consecutive Daytona 500 championship.
Hamlin finished fifth.
“We work together a few times,” said Hamlin. “In fact, I thought he would win the second round.”
Wallace finished second in the Daytona 500 2018 for the best result in the race for a black driver.
Wallace had a solid first two-thirds of the rain-delayed race at Daytona International Speedway after a tumultuous start to Jordan’s debut race.
Jordan’s Toyota No. 23 failed inspection twice before the race, prompting NASCAR to kick the team’s car boss off the field. The car passed on the third try, but had to start from the bottom of the field. Jordan watched the race start from a luxurious suite.
The six-time NBA champion had his first conversation with the 23XI team boss when he called Mike Wheeler to find out why the team failed the inspection.
Jordan joined NASCAR as the first black principal owner of a full-time Cup Series team in almost 50 years. He is close to Hamlin and has already bet on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver from the pits.
This venture is no joke for Jordan. Jordan was a child when his late father packed up his car and took the family to NASCAR races on southern tracks like Daytona, Darlington Raceway and the now defunct Rockingham Speedway.
Jordan once said that he sets his watch to watch NASCAR every week.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jordan and Wallace never met until this week. Jordan arrived in the city a few days before the race and played golf – naturally – and had a TV team meeting with Wallace and Hamlin.
“I feel like he will learn to win. He has the talent,” Jordan told Fox Sports. “We wouldn’t have invested in him and chosen him if he didn’t have the talent to win. By the end of the year, I think he will have an opportunity and will probably win at least a few races. more, I would be elated. “
Wallace did not win in his first 112 career Cup matches, all leading Richard Petty Motorsports to number 43. Wallace is the only black full-time driver at the top level of NASCAR and raised his profile last summer when he successfully convened the series to ban the display of Confederate flags on racetracks. His activism caught the attention of corporate America, which raised enough funds through five companies to sponsor the entire World Cup season.
Wallace, 27, sped up speed at the 23rd Toyota – yes, Jordan’s former Bulls number – at Speedweeks and led the only practice session this week. He qualified in sixth before falling to the end of the pack because of problems that arose from the practice of pit stop.