NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to honor Black Lives Matter on his car for Wednesday’s race
Artwork supporting Black Lives Matter has cropped up in public spaces across the country, but the movement is also finding footing in more unexpected venues; Namely, the racetrack.
Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver in NASCAR’s top series, is planning to run a special paint scheme to honor Black Lives Matter during Wednesday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
“We were talking about different organizations to have on the car and I was like, ‘I think we should just go right to the root of it and do Black Lives Matter,’” Wallace told The Athletic.
“It’s going to be really impactful and powerful to see that car out on the racetrack,” continued Wallace.
The 26-year-old driver, whose mother is black and father is white, has become an increasingly vocal advocate for Black Lives Matter as nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality continue into a third week. On Sunday, Wallace wore a t-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe/Black Lives Matter” before a NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where an African American official took a knee during the national anthem.
Wallace said during an interview with CNN the following day that he did not see the official, Kirk Price, kneeling at the time, but if he had, he would have also taken a knee in solidarity. Wallace also took a strong stance against the presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR races, saying that the sport should ban the flag entirely.
“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race,” Wallace told CNN on Monday. “So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here.”
On Wednesday night, Wallace’s advocacy will be shown rather than heard. The paint scheme for his No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro features a graphic of a black hand and a white hand interlocked on the hood above the words “Compassion, Love, Understanding.” Those words are also painted on the rear bumper. The words “#BlackLivesMatter” are painted on both sides of the car.
Wallace said he came up with the design with the help of his girlfriend, Amanda, last week and shared it with his Richard Petty Motorsports team, which quickly agreed to implement the design.
“We needed something that showed unity and coming together,” Wallace said. “The graphic that we went with of a black hand and a white hand shaking hands, basically of being united as one, I think that was pretty powerful.”
Other professional athletes, including the NBA’s LeBron James and the NFL’s Richard Sherman showed their support for the paint scheme on Twitter by retweeting the image.
“I respect it. This is change,” Sherman’s tweet said. “This fan base isn’t the most diverse or inclusive and takes a lot of courage to take this stand in this sport.”
James gave a “BIG S/O (shoutout)” with emojis of a black and white fist pounding each other in solidarity.
Barring rain, NASCAR’s race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. on FS1. You can find more race information here.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 12:38 PM with the headline "NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to honor Black Lives Matter on his car for Wednesday’s race."
