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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #45 MoneyLion Toyota, makes the gesture of silence as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #45 MoneyLion Toyota, makes the gesture of silence as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
In an earlier interview with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace had come clean on many things in a long, candid conversation. One of those things was the ban on the controversial Confederate Flag and the 23XI Racing driver’s role in that.
Wallace admitted that for a very long time, he wasn’t quite aware of what that flag fully represented or stood for. This prompted him to do his research and fill up his tank of knowledge on the same.
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“I did that and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is causing a lot of hurt and pain and isolating our demographic to where we’re at.’ It’s like, I know for a fact that NASCAR provides so much more opportunities than what it’s given and what it’s labeled as,” he described. “So, how do we get past that barrier?”
“Let’s just start with the Confederate flag. It’s going to be a bold move, risky move, a lot of people are going to lose some fans.”
Wallace revealed that everyone was on board, NASCAR, drivers, teams, crew chiefs, everyone. As for the ones who weren’t, well, they were “gladly shown the door”, he described.
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Bubba Wallace thinks he will be criticized regardless of what he does
Without a doubt, Bubba Wallace is one of the most polarizing and criticized drivers in NASCAR today. So it makes sense that he has learned how to deal with the flood of criticism that comes his way no matter what he does or says.
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“Just by me waking up and saying, ‘Good morning,’ I start the criticism, I’ve learned that. There’s people that don’t like that you woke up breathing. I have accepted that a long time ago,” he said.

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DARLINGTON, SC – SEPTEMBER 04: Bubba Wallace (#45 23XI Racing ROOT insurance Toyota) talks with reporters during pre-race for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 on September 4, 2022 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Wallace added that even if he starts handing out $100 bills to people on the street, he’ll still be criticized, which has forced him to arrive at the conclusion of where he stands now.
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“I’ve stopped caring about what other people think,” he emphasized.
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