'You're not gonna take away my smile': Bubba Wallace offers emotional interview after finishing 14th at Talladega
- Bubba Wallace gave an emotional interview after racing at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday.
- On Sunday, NASCAR said a noose had been found in Wallace's garage stall — an abhorrent racist gesture against the racing league's only Black driver.
- Wallace didn't miss a beat on the track, keeping pace with the leaders until running out of fuel in the final laps and ultimately finishing 14th.
- "I wanted to show whoever it was that you weren't gonna take away my smile," Wallace said in his postrace interview.
Bubba Wallace offered a powerful message to whoever left a noose in his team's garage on Sunday: "You're not gonna take away my smile."
Wallace had an emotional start to Monday's race at Talladega Superspeedway, with his fellow drivers and the team owner Richard Petty standing in solidarity after the racist gesture made against Wallace the night before.
Just ahead of the race, Wallace's crew gave him an emotional pep talk. "Get yourself a deep breath, get your mind right," the crew told him over the radio. "Let's go shut these haters up. Let's go to work."
And go to work they did. Wallace ran a brilliant race throughout, working his way into the top five cars through the final 10 laps of the race, even briefly leading the pack as they entered the home stretch. A gutsy gamble on his fuel tank didn't pay off, however, as Wallace was forced back from the leaders during the final laps of the race, ultimately finishing 14th.
While Wallace didn't secure the win, it was still a great night for him. After the race, he walked over to a group of fans who attended the race, some of them wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, and gave an open interview about what a whirlwind couple of days it had been for him.
"This is probably the most badass moment, right here," Wallace said, when asked to describe his day. "It's been tough. It's been hell — ah, I wouldn't say hell. It's just been hectic. Carrying this weight, carrying this burden — I wouldn't really say burden either I'm proud to stand where I'm at and carry a new face — look at this," Wallace said, turning to the fans around him. "First times right here? From Atlanta?" he asked. Many of the fans cheered in affirmation. "That is so cool."
"This sport is changing," Wallace said. "The deal that happened yesterday — sorry I'm not wearing my mask — I wanted to show whoever it was that you're not gonna take away my smile. I'm going to keep on going. I've been a part of this sport for a really long time — still kind of a rookie."
He added: "I know I should have won the damn race. We ran out of gas.
"Just the stars didn't aligned for us completely. But all in all we won today. The prerace deal was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness in my life. From all the supporters, from drivers and crew members, everybody here, the badass fan base — thank you guys for coming out here — this is truly incredible, and I'm proud to be a part of this sport, Jamie. Like I said earlier, I have a long way to go, and I'll keep on trucking. Another top-15 for us, we'll take it. We'll just go on to Pocono."
Wallace will have another shot at victory this weekend at Pocono Raceway.
"I'm still smiling," he said.
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