Unlikely, yet ideal, driver for change
Wallace opening door for minorities to enjoy NASCAR, insists he’s not tearing down sport’s heritage and traditions
Born in Alabama and reared in North Carolina, Bubba Wallace doesn’t remember seeing a Confederate flag until he went to a racetrack. His memory isn’t tied to a particular track because those Stars and Bars were fixtures in the grandstands nearly everywhere he competed as a young racer
But that’s not what transformed Wallace into a changeagent in America’s most tradition-bound sport. It was seeing the video of an unarmed black jogger gunned down in Georgia after being cornered by a white father and son brandishing a pistol and shotgun.
“The Ahmaud Arbery video was the final straw for me in being silent. That shook me to the core like nothing has in the past,” Wallace, 26, said in a telephone interview Friday. “Something flipped inside of me to be more vocal and stand up for racial equality and make sure we get a hold on that and change the face of this world and get it to a better place. Creating unity and compassion and understanding of each of our brothers and sisters is so powerful. We have to preach that to the ones that don’t want to listen and understand.”
Having risen from NASCAR’s Truck and Xfinity series to stockcar racing’s elite ranks, Wallace has yet to win a Cup Series race (he finished second in the 2018 Daytona 500). But he made an inestimable mark on NASCAR this week, becoming the first driver to call publicly for a ban on displays of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events. Less than 48 hours later, the sport did just that.
For his efforts, Wallace has been inundated with extremes. He has had a surge of 30,000 new social-media followers, many declaring newfound love for NASCAR, Wallace and his No. 43 Chevrolet. But he also has received plenty of condemnation, and even threats.
“They see me as somebody who’s tearing down their heritage,” Wallace said of the fans who are irate about the ban. “But we’re not trying to close the door on you; we’re opening the door to many others that want to be a part of this sport.”
The only full-time African American racer in NASCAR’s Cup series, and the first since the late Wendell Scott of Danville, Va., retired in 1973, Wallace is uniquely suited to lead NASCAR into the future its executives say they want: one in which all women and minorities feel welcome and fill the grandstands, pits crews and driver ranks in numbers that mirror the diversity of America.
Wallace’s father is white; his mother is African American. Both are NASCAR loyalists and fans, in particular, of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt. So Bubba, who started racing at age 9, grew up an Earnhardt fan, too.
Today, Wallace occupies the most iconic ride in NASCAR: the No. 43 that stock-car racing’s “King,” Richard Petty, drove to seven Winston Cup championships. Though 56 years younger than Petty, his boss at Richard Petty Motorsports, Wallace has due respect for his racing elders but handles himself as his own man, with his own style, brandishing a tattoo of Petty’s famous autograph on the back of his right thigh.
Unlike the many NASCAR drivers who shrink from controversy for fear of alienating a corporate sponsor, Wallace speaks his mind, whether on issues such as depression, which he has suffered from, or now, as the nation wrestles with its legacy of racism following the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minnesota police, Wallace is speaking up for those who can’t and asking others to listen and try to understand.
“I encourage people to have those tough conversations just to educate yourself on what goes on and how we can create equality in the world and grow together as one,” Wallace said. “Yes, all lives matter. But black lives matter, too. And many in the black community don’t feel like their life matters; they feel like they’re discriminated against just because of being black. We are trying to get the narrative across that our lives are just as important as anybody else’s.”
It is exhausting, Wallace acknowledged, racing at almost 200 miles per hour and advocating for change off the track. But he insists he can shoulder both jobs and, ideally, serving as a bridge to NASCAR’s future.
“I’ve always been a person that has said what’s on my mind and stand behind it with a lot of heart and passion,” Wallace said.
So, after seeing the 36-second video of Arbery’s Feb. 23 slaying, which reached the Internet on May 5, Wallace vowed to effect change in his corner of the world.
Floyd’s death, as a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, followed May 25, the weekend after NASCAR emerged from a two-week quarantine to resume racing.
Amid the blur of seven races packed into an 11-day span and the nationwide protests that followed, Wallace emailed NASCAR President Steve Phelps to say he felt NASCAR needed to take a stand on the divisive issue of the Confederate flag.
Wallace wanted Phelps to understand that many African Americans who might love racing, just like he and his family did, were staying away from tracks because of a symbol that, to them, represented hate.
“I was standing up for people whose voices haven’t been heard,” Wallace said. “It makes them feel uncomfortable. And if we wanted to see change and create inclusion in the sport, I thought this was the perfect time for NASCAR to stand behind our message and get rid of the flag.”
Phelps listened, according to Wallace.
Change came quickly.
NASCAR notified drivers of the plan to ban displays of the flag one hour before it was announced Wednesday afternoon. Wallace heard the news from Phelps directly and extended congratulations.
“It has been a long time coming,” Wallace told NASCAR’s president. “But we can’t stop here. We’ve got to keep going.”