LONG POND, Pa. 鈥 Being an agent of change in NASCAR cuts both ways for Bubba Wallace.
He is seen as a hero to some, particularly those who have longed for a Black driver to shake things up in a predominantly white sport. To others, the 26-year-old Wallace represents something else entirely and he has seen plenty of haters out on social media over his career. It has intensified in recent days.
He has brushed them off, especially the ones accusing Wallace or his No. 43 team of being involved in a hoax, of somehow being behind the garage door pulldown rope fashioned as a noose that was found in their garage stall at Alabama鈥檚 Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.
鈥淵ou quickly realize,鈥 Wallace said, 鈥渢hey don鈥檛 give a damn about you and I don鈥檛 give a damn about them.鈥
It has been a remarkable and exhausting three weeks for Wallace since he helped spark NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its races and venues. That is seen as a sea change for the 72-year-old stock car series with its core Southern fan base, but then came the noose and a federal investigation that ultimately determined Wallace had not been the target of a hate crime.
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He鈥檚 been besieged with media requests and made the rounds on morning talk shows and chatted with late night hosts. Wallace even unified the sport when every one of the 40 teams on the grid lined up with Wallace and their series in an effort to show they do not and will not tolerate racism.
The face of a movement is a tough haul for anyone, especially when he stands as the lone Black driver at the top level of NASCAR.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just what I feel in my heart, what feels right,鈥 Wallace said Friday. 鈥淚鈥檓 finally voicing my opinion on the tough subjects that a lot of people are afraid to touch on. I鈥檓 not afraid to speak my mind. I鈥檝e done it and gotten in trouble and learned from it. People that know me, I鈥檓 100% raw and real.鈥
It鈥檚 part of his appeal, and why a small number of Black fans rushed the fence and cheered for Wallace after he finished 14th at Talladega. He wants more Black fans in NASCAR 鈥 he said his social media following has exploded and scores of famous fans like LeBron James have offered support 鈥 and said he is ready to lead the charge.
He would also like some of his newfound fame to lead to more sponsorship to fund the No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports. He鈥檚 not going to change his approach for them.
鈥淓ver since I鈥檝e been speaking out, I haven鈥檛 been thinking about my sponsors,鈥 Wallace said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about me being a human being and standing up for what鈥檚 right. I would hope that sponsors would see that and back me up on that.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I wanted to be in this position or asked to be in this position,鈥 said NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. 鈥淚t just kind of happened.鈥
But he鈥檚 tired. His free time has been chewed up and life in the spotlight as a national newsmaker has him 鈥渨ore the hell out鈥 and there are two more races this weekend for a team that has been running well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I wanted to be in this position or asked to be in this position,鈥 Wallace said. 鈥淚t just kind of happened.鈥
He is grateful NASCAR released the photo of the rope; NASCAR President Steve Phelps stated 鈥渢he noose was real,鈥 though it remains unknown who tied it. Phelps said NASCAR determined the noose was not in place when the October 2019 race weekend began but was created at some point during that weekend.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 say it was directed toward me, which is good,鈥 Wallace said. 鈥淏ut somebody still knows how to tie a noose. Whether they did it as a bad joke or not, who knows? It was good for the public to see. It still won鈥檛 change some people鈥檚 minds of me being a hoax. But it is what it is.鈥
He has received support from NASCAR friends and foes, like fellow driver Aric Almirola who started a text with 鈥渨e鈥檙e not friends and we don鈥檛 act like we are鈥 but was ready to stand next to Wallace as a brother. Wallace even had fun on the Talladega grid after drivers pushed his car to the front, joking, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like half you guys, but I appreciate all of you guys.鈥
NASCAR is at Pocono Raceway this weekend for Cup Series races on Saturday and Sunday, just one more piece of a grueling schedule where all eyes are on Wallace.
鈥淟et鈥檚 get away from what happened at Talladega,鈥 Wallace said. 鈥淟et me go out and have some good races, have some bad races, try and figure out what the hell we鈥檙e going to do to rebound from those bad races and get back to race car life.鈥
