Bubba Wallace reflects on controversial tweet, airs it out on race and being a NASCAR driver

Whenever Bubba Wallace secures another win or accomplishment, it almost always leads to talk about his skin color. He was most recently the first Black driver to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his victory in the NASCAR Brickyard 400.

During his career, Bubba Wallace has been mentioned alongside Wendell Scott. Until Rajah Caruth’s Truck Series win at Las Vegas in 2024, they were the only two Black driver to ever win a NASCAR national series race. Wallace and Scott remain the only two Black drivers to win at the Cup Series level.

But a lot of that talk, if not all of it, comes from the media. Wallace is not the one who touts his “first Black driver to _____” credentials. We know that he never shies away from his identity, but he’s usually more focused on his job.

“You know, for me, I’ve always said from the beginning is I show up as a racecar driver first and let everything else settle in after that,” Bubba Wallace told the media at Iowa Speedway. “So, for me crossing that start-finish line, the first thing I thought about, finally, no more ‘days since Bubba Wallace’s last win.’ No more being on the cutline last race going into Daytona. Like, we’re in the playoffs, you know, we’ve done it, we’ve won. After I’ve told myself so many times, or I’ve questioned myself, ‘Can I do this again?’ All that was gone in that moment.”

So, how does Wallace view those accolades? Well, like he said, he let’s it all sink in after the fact.

Bubba Wallace is a racecar driver before all else

On the track, Bubba Wallace is a racecar driver. He is one of 36 full-time drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Now, he’s a Brickyard 400 winner. That is something that will be with him for his entire life.

It had been 100 races, almost three calendar years, since his last win. So, that other stuff was secondary. Last Sunday, all that mattered was that he won.

“I didn’t realize the African-American side until hours later, and it’s still incredible,” Bubba Wallace continued. “I think what gets lost in translation, though. And a lot of people get offended and try to downplay it, and I get it. I am biracial, and I love both sides of who I am. So, at the end of the day, I am a racecar driver and enjoy where I’m at in life and who I am as a person. And I know, I remember when I had a tweet pinned on my Twitter profile and it caused so much controversy, I’m not surprised in today’s world, but it was simply saying that you’re not going to stop hearing about the Black driver.

“That’s not, I never lead off with ‘I’m the Black driver.’ No disrespect to you guys [in the media], but a lot of the headlines you start off with that. That’s what I was saying. Like, yes guys, I know it’s out there every time I do something. Just embrace it, like you have to enjoy it. Of course, people flip it and say like, ‘All he cares about is being Black.’ And that’s not what I was saying. That’s neither here nor there. I love my Black side, love my white side. Love that I’m competitive, and I’m able to showcase that at the highest level in NASCAR.”

Bubba Wallace is always open about his thoughts and feelings. Answers like this are why fans like him and why the media likes speaking to him.