The past year has been a trying one for many people, particularly NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who became the focal point of racial issues within the sport as one of its two full-time Black drivers.
Yet, the year ended on a positive note after he was signed as the first driver to Michael Jordan’s newly formed NASCAR Cup Series for 2021.
Wallace is hoping his new ownership team, which also consists of Pitbull, is just the first step in big things to come for the sport and its audience.
“I think it’s big. It shows other minorities, like, hey, if these guys are investing why can’t we? And continue to grow our sport,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s what we need. It’s all about exposure, reaching out to the right people. Because they have ideas of how they want to see success and grow their name and brand. Getting in a part of NASCAR – a lot of minorities it’s not really what they go to.
“We’re changing the game. With everything that happened last year think we put NASCAR on the map in a lot of new areas. Got a lot of new fans looking to tune in this year which is great, important for us and we just got to keep the ball rolling.”
Wallace became a household name last year after NASCAR obliged his request to remove usage of the Confederate flag at races.
The decision prompted some backlash from fans, including former president Donald Trump. He was also embroiled in a controversy where a noose was found in his garage before a race, but an FBI investigation later determined it was placed there months ago and there was no hate crime.
It still did not stop Wallace from receiving racist attacks from others on social media, including his former helmet artist.
But if there was one positive to come from it, he has drawn a different demographic of fans to the sport. The addition of Jordan getting involved should only strengthen the sport’s ability to create a more diverse fan base.
This is still just a first step, though, and Wallace added a lot more must be done.
“A lot that needs to be done. That’s on NASCAR’s hands,” he said. “That’s on our hands. Every team, we can all play a huge part on pushing diversity and inclusion.”
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