NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace secured the twelfth position in qualifying ahead of the race at the Talladega Superspeedway. This is one of his better performances in qualifying this season and NASCAR’s official Twitter handle shared a tweet hyping up Wallace‘s #23 team. However, this did not go down well with many fans and they questioned NASCAR’s claims of “momentum” for the #23 team.
NASCAR claims that the #23 team is gaining momentum
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace has been making headlines lately, but not all of it has been positive. After he secured 12th position in qualifying ahead of the Talladega Cup race, NASCAR tweeted, “Momentum is building for the No. 23 team and we’re headed to a track they know well,” along with a video featuring his 2021 Talladega victory.
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Momentum is building for the No. 23 team and we're headed to a track they know well. @BubbaWallace | @TALLADEGA pic.twitter.com/dpUBGbvwKS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 22, 2023
Wallace has been a controversial figure in NASCAR since he first entered the sport. In 2020, he made headlines when he spoke out against the Confederate flag, calling for its removal from NASCAR events. He has also been involved in several on-track incidents and was even suspended by NASCAR last season for intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson under green.
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However, his win at Talladega in 2021 was a significant moment in his career and for the sport as a whole. It marked the first time an African American driver had won a Cup Series race since 1963, and it cemented Wallace’s place as a leading voice for diversity and inclusion in NASCAR.
Fans criticize NASCAR’s claim and slam Bubba Wallace
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Despite this, some fans have not been won over by Wallace’s performances on the track. They took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with NASCAR’s claims that the #23 is gaining momentum. One fan wrote, “Didn’t he say he should be replaced? Didn’t he get suspended for reckless and unsafe driving? Hasn’t he averaged a 20th place finish this year? That’s not momentum, that’s just NASCAR trying to sell a lemon.”
What’s bubba going to do tomorrow, no rain in the forecast.
— Chase_Henry_the_3rd🦚🅿️🦅 (@AUGreenLantern) April 22, 2023
Others have been more scathing in their criticism, with one fan writing, “Maybe it will rain again,” referring to the rain-shortened race that he won at Talladega in 2021. Another wrote, “By momentum, you mean he didn’t crash last week?”
Many fans have questioned why Wallace receives so much attention, especially given his mixed results on the track. Some have accused NASCAR of promoting him solely because of his race, rather than his talent as a driver. One fan wrote, “This guy gets so much attention, and I wonder why.”
Momentum? Last race, he was running 30th because he was speeding in the pits. A lucky caution moved a bunch of drivers to the front. He started 9th and finished 9th. He’s an average 20th place driver.
— Cash Oakley (@CashOakley) April 22, 2023
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Bubba Wallace’s recent success on the track has been a source of controversy and debate among NASCAR fans. While some fans believe that NASCAR is unnecessarily hyping up his performance, others see the potential for Wallace to have a strong showing at Talladega. Only time will tell whether Wallace can live up to the hype and prove his critics wrong.
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