“It doesn’t matter if he wins or is competitive — he has to show up,” Kyle Petty outlines how much NASCAR needs Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace has 8 NASCAR race wins, the most by any African American racer in NASCAR history.
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Bubba Wallace (Credits: @23XIRacing/Twitter)
The 2023 NASCAR Cup season will mark the 75th-anniversary edition of the premier stock car racing series. 2023 marks the occasion for NASCAR to revisit its legacy and history. One of the few things that disturbs NASCAR while reminiscing about its past is the lack of diversity in the sport. The lack of Female drivers and drivers from racial minorities is one of the biggest criticism NASCAR has faced for a long time.
While NASCAR has made few significant steps in boosting female participation in the sport, the absence of a prominent racial minority representative on track taunted NASCAR for years until Bubba Wallace showed up. Wallace is the only African American driver to make it into the top tier of NASCAR after Wendell Scott. He has the charisma to attract the community, something his predecessors lacked.
The two-time Cup race winner grew into prominence alongside Mexican driver Daniel Suarez with the help of the Drive for Diversity initiative, spearheaded the discussion around diversity in NASCAR. His former boss and ex-Cup driver Kyle Petty have perfectly explained how much Wallace means to NASCAR and African American community.
“Bubba is important to the sport. It doesn’t matter if he wins or is competitive — he has to show up. His presence in the sport is different than when Danica (Patrick) was in the sport. She opened a lot of doors for women. But with Bubba, it is totally different. He has the talent to win if he is in the right equipment. He just means so much to the African American community,” Kyle Petty said.
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Bubba Wallace knows NASCAR has a long way to go before he becomes just a race winner from Black driver to win a race
During an interview with USA Sports, Wallace was asked whether he sees a time when he will be remembered as a race winner. He pointed out that though it is a possibility, the sport has a long way to go in achieving it.
“Yeah, I don’t know if that will ever come. Until we start looking like the NBA or NFL, I don’t know. We have a lot of work to do to get to that point, but I understand my position and role outside of driving race cars, so it just takes it one day at a time and tries to navigate through it the best way you can,” Bubba Wallace said.
He later pointed out that he likes to be a role model for the African American community. He said, “‘Hey, you have so many people looking up to you, you have to be careful what you say, eat, and drink.’ It is a part of it, and I enjoy it,”.
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