?Not an Activist? Bubba Wallace Embraces His Advocate for Change Persona?s Impact on NASCAR & Himself

The journey of a Cup Series driver is not all sunrises and fairy tales. It takes blood, sweat, and tremendous sacrifice to drive in NASCAR’s top tier. Bubba Wallace definitely understands how difficult it is to be a top-tier competitor in the NASCAR arena. However, the journey of Bubba Wallace is a bit different from that of his contemporaries.

Wallace is not an activist, and neither does he claim to be so. However, he has done a lot to uphold the interest of black men in the sport. It is perhaps safe to say that, being the only American-African athlete in NASCAR, his journey has been one of several ups and downs.

Bubba Wallace – A story of bad luck and perseverance

The 23XI driver hasn’t won a single race this year. However, he made his first-ever playoff appearance this year. Considering the grind that a Cup Series season is, making it into the playoff rumble is an achievement in itself. He finished 10th in the point standings, by far his best finish after he succeeded in advancing to the round of 12 in points. Thinking of the times that his pit crew failed him during multiple races, Bubba Wallace has done enough to prove his driving prowess.

However, racing is not all that Bubba Wallace does at NASCAR. He has starred in a Netflix docuseries called “Race: Bubba Wallace”, a product of a joint venture by 300 Studios, Boardwalk Pictures, and NASCAR Productions. This 6-part Netflix exclusive reveals the aftermath that followed his stand to open up about racial injustice, besides the struggles that Wallace faced in his journey to climb up the ladder to NASCAR’s elite racing level.

Bubba Wallace said, “I am no activist, I’m a person that just loves to race. That’s about it. So when you throw something else in front of my plate as big as that, it makes you realize who you are as a person.”?Wallace felt like his career in NASCAR had helped him become what he is today. Specifically, it’s the growth that he is proud of.

“I’ve been proud of the social economic change that we’ve had inside of our sport and proud of just being able to build race teams up. As much frustrating days we have, I think those are the days where we learned the most,” exclaimed.

For Bubba Wallace, racing is everything. He admitted, “I’m very honored to be able to do what I do, the steps that I took to get here, it was a constant grind. From racing every weekend to wondering if you’re gonna race again to back in the seat full-time, it’s been an interesting journey. It’s been a humbling one for sure.”

Watch this story: Richard Petty?s Long-Term Ally Takes His Final Drive to Heaven

Although Bubba Wallace doesn’t identify himself as a social activist, he has surely done a lot that would earn him the title of one. Two of the several times when he came under the spotlight for the same date back in 2020.

Bubba Wallace’s actions spoke louder than words as Richard Petty himself showed up

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Veteran drivers like 7X Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and Richard “The King” Petty stood by Bubba Wallace moments before the Geico 500 was about to roll out at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, Wallace’s hometown. The date was June 21, 2020. But why was this day so special?

The 30-year-old decided to speak up. After finding a noose hanging in his garage stall by a member of his #43 Richard Petty Motorsports team, Wallace wore a short that re-echoed the last words that George Floyd said as he was being choked to death by a white police officer: “I can’t breathe“, followed by the words, “Black Lives Matter“.

The entire garage stood beside Wallace in solidarity with his cause for the fact that when the drivers sit behind the wheels of a car, no one is different from one another; there would be no discrimination based on caste, creed, religion, race, or gender. However, Bubba Wallace did not just stop at that.

As reported by ESPN, he told CNN, “My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags. No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”

Read more: NASCAR Insider Lays Bare Bubba Wallace?s Achilles Heel That Resulted in His Downfall

It’s no doubt that Bubba Wallace has come a long way. Although it wasn’t an extraordinary season for the #23 23XI team, as racing fans, we cross our fingers so that he comes back next year, stronger than ever.