Bubba Wallace Praises NASCAR for Being More Diverse (Exclusive)

When it comes to fighting social injustice, Bubba Wallace became the unofficial leader for NASCAR last year. But have things changed in the sport since Wallace first used his platform to speak out against racism? PopCulture.com recently caught up with Wallace who showed love to NASCAR for being more diverse today than they have in the past.

“We just had a text a message chain pop up with our diversity and inclusion team that I’m a part of that inside NASCAR’s four walls,” Wallace told PopCulture. “And seeing what they’re doing even for this month being pride month is, is huge. And there’s a long list of things that they are taking initiative and being a part of so super proud of that. It’s been quite the year since everything has gone down, but it’s made me comfortable with who I am as a person who I am as a racer, a comfortable with my own voice, my own skin.”

One of the things Wallace did last year is speaking out on NASCAR allowing Confederate Flags. Right after Wallace made his statement on how NASCAR should ban the flag at events, the league didn’t hesitate to make the change. And while it was a big move, Wallace said he wasn’t surprised that NASCAR took action.

“They control the rains, and so moving forward, I just voiced my opinion,” Wallace said. “I was asking her what we need to do next and ask her to take it up on her shoulders and then made it happen. Hats off to everybody there. I continue to say we can’t become stagnant. We have to keep moving that we have to be fluid and adapt to new ways. “Life is always changing. It’s always providing new opportunities and throwing curve balls at us. We have to be proactive instead of reactive.”

As Wallace continues to fight the good fight, he’s looking to have a successful career on the track. He joined 23XI Racing this year, which is owned by Michael Jordan and fellow NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin. Wallace is already one of the most successful Black drivers in NASCAR history but where does he see his career in the next few years?

“I’m not a very optimistic person,” Wallace stated. “I live in the real moment. Looking forward, I just say focus on today and whatever tomorrow has, I’ll try to capitalize on that. Obviously, you have so many dreams and aspirations of where you want to be, but I try to manage those and not let myself get too high or too low. NASCAR has done a lot and will continue to do a lot. Hopefully, I’m a part of that.”