“I Was Young I Didn’t Understand It”: Bubba Wallace Shares The Story of His Cousin’s Death in a Police Shooting

Bubba Wallace reveals a gut-wrenching story from his childhood in the latest episode of ‘The Dale Jr’ podcast. Wallace talks about the recent protests and his life in the interview.

In the podcast, Bubba talked about his cousin’s death in a police shooting and how he wasn’t able to comprehend it as a child.

He revealed that he first spoke to his mother about sharing this story. In 2003, Wallace’s cousin was shot by a policeman in a local store. He was just nine years old when the incident took place.

He said, “The store clerk, who happened to be white, felt threatened. There were more African-Americans and that something bad was going to happen. So she called the cops, and the police officer had ordered my cousin, Sean, to put his hands up, and he did.”

He added, “And then that officer walked away, and [my cousin] went to grab his phone to call his mom. He was scared and was shot and killed by the other police officer.”

After that, he talked about how it was difficult for him to understand the incident when he was growing up. He said, “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.”

More drivers came out in support of the protests after Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace is the only black driver in NASCAR’s top series. And was one of the first NASCAR drivers to speak up after the demise of George Floyd.

Additionally, in the podcast, he told Dale Earnhardt Jr. that initially, he was really angry. Many of his colleges chose to remain silent on the incident. Despite, the event getting mass attention with protests happening across the country.

Only after Bubba and a few others opened up about the incident did most other drivers and NASCAR come out in support of the protest against racial discrimination.

He said, “I wouldn’t want to be the guy that went out and won the championship in a horrible year but never made a comment on the issues we are dealing with in our society”.

Read More: “Don’t Tell the Coach Though”: NASCAR Cup Series Driver Picks Between Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs