Bubba Wallace has won at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the second Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup race.
During the race, Wallace took over first place after a crash occurred allowing him to take over the lead. From there the sky opened up and the storm called the race, declaring Wallace the leader.
“Got some credibility to my name now,” said Wallace to ESPN. “I’m just like, ‘Finally, I’m a winner and I’m a winner in the Cup level,’ and it’s just like ‘Hell yeah!’ It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”
“It’s definitely been tough going to some of the tracks this year, we get some of the most boos now,” Wallace said. “Everybody says as long as they’re making noise that’s fine, but you know, I get booed for different reasons, and that’s the tough thing to swallow. I appreciate all those who were there doing the rain dance with us, pulling for us, supporting me my whole career, but especially those who have supported me with everything that’s gone on the last 15-16 months.”
Just last year, NASCAR discovered a noose in Wallace’s garage at Talladega. Surveillance footage showed the noose was there for months, however, the brand and its drivers supported Wallace. NASCAR would go on to ban the confederate flag at its races.
