Netflix Docuseries 'RACE' Is a Powerful Look at Bubba Wallace's Challenging NASCAR Journey (Review)

Bubba Wallace is ready to make a big leap in 2022. He made history in October when he won his first Cup Series race, making him the first Black driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963. That is talked about along with Wallace's journey in a powerful new Netflix docuseries called RACE: Bubba Wallace. 

The docuseries focuses on Wallace's 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season as it's his first year with 23XI racing which is co-owned by fellow NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Wallace feels the pressure of performing for his two bosses, which leads to him dealing with his share of challenges on the track. 

But along with taking a look at Wallace's 2021 season, RACE looks at the things Wallace accomplished in 2020. The series takes deep dive into him becoming an advocate following the Black Lives Matter movement. From getting the Confederate flags banned at races to the noose controversy, RACE gives an inside look at all the events that occurred in 2020 that made Wallace a household name.

With Wallace being the only Black full-time driver in NASCAR, RACE looks at the history of Black drivers in the sport. In NASCAR's history, there have been four full-time Black drivers — Scott, Willy T. Ribbs, Bill Lester, who is interviewed in the series, and Wallace. Lester talks about the criticism he took from White people while competing, and the series also looks back at Scott's NASCAR win and how that became an issue. 

Other notable people interviewed in RACE are Hamlin, Wallace's team members in 23XI Racing, his mother Desiree, his fiancee Amanda Carter, Richard Petty, Joe Gibbs, Michael Strahan, Jemele Hill, NASCAR CEO Steve Phelps and NASCAR drivers Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillion and Kyle Busch among others. 

Wallace has taken his share of hits over the last year for what he's done as an advocate. But while he's a very emotional person, he never backs down from a challenge and will always continue to fight for wins on and off the track. Wallace has a chance to be a superstar in NASCAR as he's only 28 years old. But RACE shows everyone that the kid from Mobile, Alabama is so much more than just a person who races on Sundays.