For a moment on Sunday, it appeared that Bubba Wallace would once again win a race under rain-shortened conditions. Wallace’s first NASCAR win at Talladega in 2021 happened in a rain-shortened race. He didn’t want to do it again.

A lot of criticism for Bubba Wallace occurred after the Talladega win. Many detractors noted that the race didn’t go the full distance and therefore didn’t count. Then he won at Kansas in 2022, but everyone said it was in Kurt Busch’s car (it was not).

So, now Wallace has won the Brickyard 400. Full distance and then some with double overtime. He outdueled Kyle Larson twice to get the job done. Stretched his fuel like the veteran that he is.

Still, during the 18-minute rain delay, doubts crept into Wallace’s mine. He thought that he would once again win a race, this time the biggest win of his career, under uncertain conditions.

Damn. You know, I understood the reasoning [for the rain caution],” Bubba Wallace said after the race. “It was big splashes the last time through 1 and 2, and it was, like, okay. Then he says it’s pouring by the time we get over there the next time. So it was like, Okay, I understand.

“I will say the first thing that came to my mind is, here we go again. If it rains and it ends, Lord have mercy, Twitter’s going to blow up. I said that for a second, but then I was like, man, I really want to win this straight up. I want to go back racing. So I was content with it going on. I was bummed that we gave up that lead, but here we are.”

Instead, the race went back green. Bubba Wallace took his No. 23 car out there, uncertain about whether or not he had the fuel to make it to the end, and he executed. He could have pitted late for fuel and tires and given up the lead. But he didn’t.

Racing is tough. There are many more days that you lose than you win. That’s as true for 200-time winner Richard Petty as it is for a 3-time winner in Bubba Wallace. To get the Brickyard 400 win in the manner in which he did it is perfection. Now, he’s on his way to the playoffs.

During the race, it would have been easy to give up. That delay could have shaken him and thrown him off his game. He could have let Kyle Larson side draft him on the outside and make the pass. However, he did not. He kept pushing hard through to the finish and walked away the winner.