OPINION: Wallace’s First Nascar Cup Series Win Was a Long Time Coming

Bubba Wallace became the first African American since Wendell Scott in 1963 to win a NASCAR Cup Series race Oct. 4 at Talladega Superspeedway, and it was one of the most well-deserved wins in NASCAR history. 

Bubba has had to endure a lot during his NASCAR career. He started with two solid seasons at Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, including his first National Touring Series win at Martinsville in 2013. From there, he signed with Roush-Fenway Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2015 before the team ceased operations in 2017. 

Despite this setback, he got his first big break in 2017 at Pocono when he subbed in the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports’ 43, replacing Aric Almirola. Wallace would segue that into a full-time ride with the team in 2018. 

From there, his Cup career has found many ups and downs. A second-place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500 was followed by three frustrating seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports. 

However, as the 2020 season rolled on, Wallace became famous for finding his voice outside the racetrack. In June of 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests and NASCAR taking more initiatives to fight against racism, Wallace called on NASCAR to take more action. 

In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon June 8, 2020, Wallace called for the removal of Confederate flags from NASCAR sanctioned events. Two days later, just prior to a race at the site of Wallace’s first NASCAR National Touring Series win, NASCAR banned Confederate flags from
its racetracks. 

A few weeks later, a supposed “noose” was found in the garage stall of Wallace’s 43 car at Talladega Superspeedway, a story first reported by ESPN after a statement made by NASCAR. The next day, the 43 car was pushed to the front of the grid, and every single member of every team came out behind the 43 and its driver on pit road in support of Wallace. 

However, according to ESPN, it was thankfully found after the race that the noose was merely a garage door pull rope that had been there before Wallace was assigned to that garage stall. Despite the fact that the original ESPN article that broke the story stated, “Wallace never saw the noose, according to Marty Smith,” Wallace was unfairly criticized by many for the misunderstanding.

In the face of this, Wallace pressed on. In the offseason after the 2020 season, he was given another big break — the chance to drive for 23XI Racing co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and current NASCAR star Denny Hamlin. 

While 2021 had not been a perfect season for Wallace, at Talladega, all seemed to go right. He drove his way to the front of the field just in time for the rain to fall. The race ended, and Wallace got his first career NASCAR win. 

Some may say it was “lucky,” but Wallace drove his way to the front. He was not thrown into the lead thanks to a huge crash in front of him or a good pit strategy. He was the fastest car on track at the right time and drove to the front. 

Even through all the adversity he faced on and off the track, Wallace is now a NASCAR Cup Series winner. He worked hard every step of the way, just like Wendell Scott did. 

Wallace did not win because NASCAR gave him a win or because the “woke mob” demanded it. He won because he worked hard for it and earned it, while also promoting and making positive change along the way. That is something that everyone should get behind. 

Lipowski is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter.