Bubba Wallace says banning the Confederate flag helps to create a welcoming environment to new NASCAR fans
- Bubba Wallace's effort to ban the Confederate flag from NASCAR races helped vault him into superstardom.
- Speaking with Showtime's "Desus & Mero," Wallace said that the effort wasn't about calling out racist fans, but rather about expanding the fanbase and creating a more welcoming environment for those new to racing.
- "We have to show that we want people to be a part of our sport," Wallace said.
Bubba Wallace has become one of the most influential athletes in the world over the past few months, having led the effort to ban the Confederate flag from NASCAR events.
As the only Black driver in the sport, Wallace took on the effort to help make NASCAR more welcoming to new fans, and hopefully grow and diversify the sport's supporters.
Speaking with Showtime's "Desus & Mero," Wallace talked about the reaction that his effort to get rid of the Confederate flag brought about from some online.
"We always want to pay attention to the negative, but the narrative that's been out there now that's saying all NASCAR fans are racist and whatnot, that's totally not true," Wallace said. "I've gone down in the fans, in the infield, at Talladega, wherever it's at — Daytona, Texas, Michigan — I never knew if people were flying the Confederate flag."
"We would go down there, drink beer, have a good time, hang out. It wasn't like they don't want you there. I could see from an outsider looking in, how that would look," Wallace said. "It's something that it offended a lot of people when I brought it up — let's get rid of the Confederate flag — because to a lot of people that was 'heritage.' Well, [think about] the people that we're trying to attract and change up the face of the sport, and allow it to be more diverse. Why isn't there more sponsors? Maybe because of the Confederate flag."
Wallace said that in banning the flag from the sport, NASCAR was opening itself up to a brand new fanbase that might now feel more welcome at the track.
"Let's just get rid of it at NASCAR races. I'm not saying you have to get rid of it in your daily life. You know what I'm saying? You can wear that proudly at home, but just, when you come to a NASCAR race, let's show that we're all welcoming," Wallace said. "You may not carry any hate in your heart, and that's totally fine — I know not every person is bad, not every NASCAR fan is bad — but we have to show that we want people to be a part of our sport."
Wallace's effort to broaden the appeal of NASCAR appears to be working.
While fans have yet to be fully allowed back to the racetracks, select races have already welcomed a low number of fans into the stands to support their favorite drivers.
After finishing 14th at Talladega, Wallace greeted a group of fans who attended the race, some of them wearing Black Lives Matter shirts in support of him.
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