Reporter Provides Clarification on NASCAR “Hall of Famer” Controversy After Serious Fan Backlash

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is without a doubt the greatest badge a NASCAR professional can have. It takes years, and years, and years of hard work, dedication along with consistent legendary achievements to get there. So how did Jesse Iwuji, the part-time Xfinity Series driver, get the ‘Hall of Famer’ tag before his name by ABC News? Yes, that’s what happened.

Iwuji was recently interviewed by Kyra Phillips of ABC News where he spoke about diversity, his plans in the sport, and his Daytona car. But interestingly, the tweet introduced him as, “NASCAR driver and hall-of-famer,” something fans particularly didn’t appreciate.

Yet the truth of the matter is, Iwuji is in fact, a hall of famer, but not the one fans were thinking of.

Reporter clarifies Jesse Iwuji’s status after outrage from NASCAR fans

As Kyra Phillips pointed out herself after massive backlash from the fans, Iwuji is part of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. According to Speedway Media, “The MSHFA is the only hall that honors all American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, airplanes, off road and powerboats.”

“Its mission is to celebrate and instill the American motorsports values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition.”

This HoF has nearly one-third of inductees with a military background, something Iwuji has as well. The 35-year-old has been serving in the Navy since 2010.

So technically, ABC didn’t make a mistake by calling Iwuji a Hall of Famer, but regardless, the bitter response they got from the outraged fans is understandable.

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NASCAR’s Hall of Fame had put Bubba Wallace’s car on display

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In March last year, NASCAR’s Hall of Fame announced they’d be putting up Bubba Wallace‘s #23 car, in which he won the Talladega race in 2021, on display. That result was a historic one for the sport, as Wallace became only the second Black driver in history to win a NASCAR race.

“In keeping with our mission to honor the history and heritage of NASCAR, we are thrilled by the opportunity to highlight Bubba Wallace’s historic win by displaying the No. 23 car,” NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director, Winston Kelley said.

When this was announced, the fans didn’t take this well either because of the circumstances in which Wallace had won. Yet despite the backlash, the car went up on display.

Similarly, despite the backlash, Jesse Iwuji is a Hall of Famer.

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