Photo: Jeff Robinson/getty
Bubba Wallace made history on Monday, becoming the first Black race car driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963.
The star driver, 27, was seen onNASCAR’s Twitter accountearly Monday afternoon jumping and hugging teammates shortly after his victory.
Wallace’s win came during the rain-delayed YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, in a race that saw him beat Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher.
It was the first victory for a Black driver in NASCAR’s premier series since Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott won at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 1, 1963.
On Monday, Wallace made sure to pose with hiswhite dog Asherfor victory photos at the press conference.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Man, I’m just so proud of everyone at 23XI,” Wallace said, according to NASCAR. “New team coming in and getting a win late in the season. I know a lot of history was made today, I believe, which is really cool, but it’s about our guys, about our team, about what was done.”
Wallace’s win is the latest bout of good news for the athlete, who announced his engagement to fiancee Amanda Carter in July.
“Why I waited so long..we will never know,” Wallacewrote on Twitter, sharing several sweet photos from the big moment, including one of himself down on one knee in front of a waterfall.
RELATED VIDEO: LeBron James Supports Bubba Wallace After Noose Is Found in NASCAR Driver’s Stall: ‘You Don’t Stand Alone’
The other images featured a close-up shot of the couple, with Carter showing off her ring, as well as a snap of Wallace pumping his fist in the air after she said yes.
“The wait is over!! Here’s to forever! Forever ever!” he added.
Carter has long supported the driver, born Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr, as he rose to the NASCAR ranks since he was officially introduced as a team driver in October 2017, becoming the first Black driver to have a full-time Cup ride.
The athlete has also been open about the racism he’s experienced.
“Whenever I was younger, I never would understand it, but my parents would always just be like, ‘You know what, don’t mind that BS that’s going on over there. Let’s come back next week and beat their tails,’ " hetold PEOPLElast July. “And that’s what we did. We’d come back and eventually shut them up. So, it’s been like that ever since.”
source: people.com
