NASCAR racer Bubba Wallace hosted “Bubba’s Block Party” at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on June 28, ahead of the Grant Park 220 NASCAR race. The event included several photo attractions, vendors, a Q&A session with Wallace, and a performance from Chicago’s own Lupe Fiasco.
William Darrell Wallace Jr., better known as Bubba Wallace, is currently NASCAR’s only Black driver. Wallace began driving for NASCAR in 2012, but his journey with racing began at age nine.
“We just happened to walk into a race track one day, and I got hooked,” said Wallace during the Q&A section of the block party. “It wasn’t like this was something I had sought after to do to be a racecar driver, or had dreams of.”
After driving various series for six years, in 2018 Wallace received the offer to drive in NASCAR’s top circuit, the Cup Series, becoming the first Black driver to do so.
Racism in NASCAR
NASCAR has a vast history of anti-Black racism within the sport, with Wallace often being on the receiving end. Confederate flags have been commonplace at NASCAR races since the sport’s conception in the 1940s. In 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Wallace pushed for the flag to be banned, saying there was “no place” for it in the sport. The racer also drove with and wore Black Lives Matter paraphernalia in support of the decision.
While NASCAR agreed and banned the flag at all races and venues, the battle was not over for Wallace. Shortly after, a noose was found in Wallace’s garage stall at the Talladega Super-speedway racing track. The FBI declared the incident not a hate crime, and Wallace took to Twitter to confirm the investigation. However, the racer continues to be on the receiving end of booing and other resentful acts by NASCAR fans.
Bridging the Gap
Bubba’s Block Party continues Wallace’s activism and advocacy in NASCAR. According to Wallace, the idea for the event started off with a phone call to the NASCAR diversity team.
“There’s a lot of people out there that want to be a part of our sport, but one, they don’t know how, and two, they don’t feel comfortable.”
A trailer was stationed at the event featuring bios of Black leaders in NASCAR. Free vouchers to watch both the preliminary and main Grant Park 220 race were also handed out at the event. Wallace encouraged the crowd at the block party to come to the race “just to show the people that don’t believe that we’re making a real change, we actually are.”
Abosede Odunsi, an attendee of the block party, said that the free vouchers made it financially possible for her to see the race. “I don’t know the rankings and how they do the scorings and stuff, but I’m here fully supporting the fact that we have a Black NASCAR racer,” said Odunsi.
NASCAR for All
People from all across Chicago came to enjoy the race. NASCAR is typically seen as something enjoyed only by a few. However, events like these prove that NASCAR may become accessible to all. The bond between NASCAR and Chicago grew even further that day, with local vendors being allowed to do business at the event.
“This is a great opportunity for my small business as we are continuing to grow and we are so glad to be here,” according to Sherrae Lee, one of the vendors present at the event.
NASCAR and Chicago have a contract that goes all the way to 2025. The Chicago race itself was heavily watched, and many who were paying attention to the race were introduced to NASCAR for the first time. “It was the most-watched NASCAR race since 2017, NBC reports, and NASCAR said most ticket buyers were experiencing NASCAR for the first time,” according to Axios. More eyeballs on NASCAR means more profit from things like ad dollars and publicity for the racing company. If this racing company continues to make deals like this, it’s going to have a very profitable future ahead of them.
Racing Under the Weather
A few weeks ago, Chicago happened to be covered with low-quality air all over the city. The Canadian wildfire smoke, which at first traveled to New York, eventually traveled to Chicago.
The NASCAR still raged on as the drivers raced through a 2.2-mile course in downtown Chicago. To drive through very low-quality air and very heavy rain is quite the feat.
While Bubba Wallace may not have won the race, he fought just as hard through the harsh conditions present. Both Chicago and Bubba Wallace have a great future ahead of them.
Written by Elena Wilson and Kenneth Mazaret
Sources:
ABC7 Chicago: Chicago NASCAR race map, street closures, parking restrictions, and more info
NASCAR: BUBBA WALLACE’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
NASCAR: Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace: Bubba Wallace
Axios: Chicago and NASCAR to sort out street race’s fate by Carrie Shepherd
USC Annenberg: Racing past racism: NASCAR and its haunting historical fanbase by Michael Chow
NPR: NASCAR: Its History Of Racism And Relations With The Confederate Flag
New York Times: NASCAR Releases Image of Noose Found in Bubba Wallace’s Garage by Azi Paybarah
AP News: NASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races, venues
NASCAR: Bubba’s Block Party
Images Courtesy of The News School
