Bubba Wallace has reached a stage in his career where he is starting to come into his own as a driver. As one of the few African-American drivers in the sport, the spotlight is shining down on the 23XI Racing star. In addition to focusing on his own career, he is also acting as a mentor to other drivers. Chief among them are other African-American drivers who have been inspired by him and predecessor Wendell Scott.

Now the next generation of African-American NASCAR driver is Truck Series racer, Rajah Caruth. The 22-year-old has been operating primarily in the Truck Series, but does have some Xfinity stars under his belt. In essence, he is Bubba Wallace’s protege and will be aiming to follow his mentor to the Cup Series.

Of course, the 31-year-old is proud of the progress that Caruth has made in his career. Last year, the youngster bagged his maiden Truck Series win in his career at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since then, he went on to finish in a career-best 7th place in the Truck Series championship. And Wallace has shouldered the responsibility of guiding him through the challenges that come with being a black driver in NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace embraces his role of being the leader for diversity in NASCAR

Wallace told Breakfast Club Power, “Yeah, we got some youth coming up, we got Rajah Caruth coming up through in the Truck Series. It’s fun being a mentor to him and the others coming through. I sense a responsibility to carry myself the right way, but also to show that I’m here to stay and make a name for myself as well. The only way to create boundaries is to cross them and figure out what to do and what not to do. I’ve made some mistakes along the way but it’s shaped me, helped me to become who I am today. Off-track and on-track stuff has been phenomenal; you could say this whole year started off very strong for us. Nothing’s better than winning, it’s been a while since I’ve been in Victory Lane, but not for the lack of effort.”

The #23 driver implied that he has more understudies in addition to Rajah Caruth. However, the latter is the only one to make it as far up as the Truck Series. Wallace also reflected on his own growth as a NASCAR driver and the experience that he has gained in his career. While his journey has been far from perfect, he still believes that he provides value to the upcoming generations. The only shortcoming in his path has been the lack of wins at the Cup level, and he’s trying hard to bridge that gap. However, when it comes to black drivers competing in NASCAR, the story goes well beyond Bubba Wallace and Wendell Scott.

Truthfully, he was not the first African-American driver in NASCAR. That honor belongs to Elias Bowie, who made his debut in 1955 at Bay Meadows Speedway, finishing 28th. A year later, Charlie Scott made his debut and finished 19th at Daytona Beach and Road Course. Then the floodgates slowly trickled open with Wendell Scott in 1961, who became the first ever black race winner at Speedway Park in Jacksonville.

After him came George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea and Willy T Ribbs in 1968, 1975 and 1986, respectively. 13 years later, NASCAR broke new ground with two African-American drivers, Bruce Driver and Bill Lester. In 2000, it was Bobby Norfleet, followed by Preston Tutt and Tim Woods III in 2001. Then came Chase Austin in 2007, Marc Davis in 2008, Ryan Gifford in 2013 and Jesse Iwuji in 2018. Aside from Wallace and Caruth, the only other active black NASCAR drivers are Blake Lothian and Armani Williams. Williams is also the first driver openly diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

Well, NASCAR has become a diverse sport if we are to compare the timeline of the black drivers and their rise. But it’s fair to say that there’s still work to be done and Wallace will be the leading the drive right to bring about this change. Speaking of change, the 23XI Racing driver seems to have found his footing in 2025 despite being paired with a new crew chief and the added responsibilities of being a father.

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Tyler Reddick’s success sparked a fire within the No. 23 team

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series was far from Wallace’s best attempt in the bid to compete for wins and championships. It was the repeat of 2023, where he and his team relied on points to make it to the knockout stages. Clearly, there was something off in terms of planning and execution, and the top brass at 23XI Racing decided to split Wallace and Bootie Barker after the 2024 season.

On one hand, you had the #23 team, which struggled to find consistency and race-winning speeds. And then you had Tyler Reddick and the #45 team, who not only won the regular season championship but made it all the way to the championship race. Upon seeing this disparity, Wallace got right to work with his new crew chief, Charles Denike, and things are looking good for them. Especially after back-to-back P3 finishes at Homestead and Martinsville.

“I have the same stuff and I’m just as competitive as Tyler. I put all the weight and pressure on me. So, I’m back in the gym, nobody’s telling me to work out or be part of meetings. I took that upon myself. Like, I was doing just enough to get by, and that’s not okay. So I need to take a step up.” Wallace said this to Kevin Harvick.

Eight in points, a stage win to his name and good runs at traditional ovals. This is how the No. 23 team intended to start the 2025 season, and with Darlington race weekend lined up next, another top-five run could set them up for a potential win.