Ever since George Floyd’s death, the fight against racism has intensified. To that end, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is on the front lines of the war. He took his stance one step further when he chose to run a Black Lives Matter-inspired livery. Even NASCAR stood by him in solidarity when the sport banned the Confederate flag.

However, the first full-time African-American driver acknowledged that he is scared about his personal safety. Especially considering that he has been very outspoken on the matters of racial prejudice. So, the 26-year old is afraid of retaliation from individuals.

He even referred to potential consequences from people within the NASCAR community. According to him, he won’t be able to take an impromptu trip into the infield. So, he may have to watch his back at tracks from now onwards.

Will fellow drivers be there to protect Bubba Wallace?

Admittedly, there have been a few ‘bad apples’ in the bunch, like Ray Ciccarelli. The 50-year old quit the NASCAR Truck series over the row surrounding the sport banning the Confederate flag. However, the general consensus is that a large majority of drivers share Wallace’s dislike for racism. In fact, a few drivers cuts ties with a helmet supplier over social media posts slamming Wallace’s Black Lives Matter livery.

The African American even shared a harrowing story from his childhood involving racism. He said, “I was running around the gym with all the other brothers and sisters there, and all of a sudden, I hear a scream — like the worst scream that you’d want to hear. Not like a somebody-scared-you scream, like something bad had just happened. And I look over and I see my mom running out the door, and we had just found out my cousin had been shot and killed by a police officer. Unarmed.

“And so I was young. I didn’t understand it. We lost a family member. But now seeing everything come full circle, I totally get it now.”