It is known to all that the 23XI Racing driver has always been a polarizing figure in NASCAR. He is the only black driver competing full-time in the Cup Series, one of the highest formats of motorsports. And this year marks his seventh season in the series.
Even though the African-American racer has been in the season for so long, he is often subjected to racial slurs both on and off the tracks. Nevertheless, this has never deterred the driver from achieving his goals and shutting down all the critics through his performance.
However, his temper occasionally gets the better of him and tends to land him in trouble. But more often than not, these incidents may have some precedence in the past and portray the fact that the two incidents are treated differently. Even Bubba Wallace acknowledged the fact on an episode of Sirius XM with Claire B. Lang.
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Bubba Wallace Talks About How He Has Been Discriminated Against Within the NASCAR World
Bubba Wallace has been one of the most outspoken drivers in the whole of the NASCAR grid. He has been vocal about social issues, like the Black Lives Matter movement. And when it comes to driving, the NASCAR driver is nothing less than a pure talent, reinforcing numerous times that he has the required skills to drive in the elite formats of NASCAR.
Still, there have been instances when the driver has been dished out differential treatment as compared to other drivers. The No.23 Toyota driver revealed the facts to his utter displeasure in the latest interview on Sirius XM.
Wallace divulged the fact, “For me I love just, people think that I love to stay in the headlines, for different reasons. I actually hate it. It’s funny how it all works out how the fingers become such a big thing when Bubba Wallace does it.”
“The champ gets wrecked get dumped on a track and they walk out on the track and shoot one bird and shoot a double bird and we laugh about it and move on and we tell them they are No.1.”
He asserted the fact, “And when Bubba Wallace does it, we get to shut the whole stage down and shut all the series down kick him out and suspend him. So on that side of things, it’s completely a**, but it is what it is. It’s been going on for years and sounds like I just invented something new.”
“And we know how some of these people that are part of the sports, hate when Bubba Wallace brings in something new.”
@BubbaWallace talks about his tendency for flipping the bird and why he plans to stop doing it. pic.twitter.com/Gtq1aR3t5w
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) June 10, 2023
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When Was the Same State of Affairs Treated Differently?
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These instances do hint at one of the recent incidents that took place during the All-Stars-Race at North Wilkesboro when Wallace had been embroiled in a bird-flipping affair.
The no-points race has not been a memorable one for the driver as someone had hacked into the radio of the driver and left the message, “Go back to where you came from you a******. You’re not wanted in NASCAR.”
But the incident did not end there. Michael Jordan’s driver made an offensive gesture by pointing his middle figure at the camera. Although, at the time, it was not known to whom the gesture was directed at. Fans had hurled their wrath at the driver for this gesture. But many took Wallace’s side and pointed out a similar incident that took place back in 2020 and at the center of the controversy was Chase Elliott.
The golden boy of NASCAR had done the same gesture and directing at Kyle Busch, after Kyle Busch had spun him on the track. But Elliott was lucky as he escaped scrutiny. Many fans pointed out the fact, “The people that hated Bubba Wallace’s middle finger are the same ones that loved when Chase Elliott did it.”
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Nevertheless, Bubba Wallace also did not face any repercussions for the actions he made, but as a driver who is always under the limelight and scrutiny should have been mindful of his behavior. This does assert the fact that Bubba Wallace has not been discriminated against within the grid, as there are numerous facts that prove otherwise.
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