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“They’ve Got to Get Viewers Somehow” – Bubba Wallace on Media Headlines That Put Him in a Box

Published 05/14/2022, 9:55 AM EDT

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Bubba Wallace has made history on quite a lot of fronts in NASCAR. But that precise thing, him making history by being the first African-American driver to do what he has done so far, has ensured that it’s become a label that perhaps overshadows his talent.

However, Wallace isn’t bothered by that being the case. Rather, he’s simply accepting what he’s expecting.

“I’ve accepted that, that’s what my pinned tweet says that’s been up since 2017 and it’s pissed a lot of people off which I love. But it’s simply saying, ‘Hey, stop getting offended for me, over the headlines from the media outlets, black this, black that, black NASCAR driver,” he said.

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“They’ve got to get viewers somehow. I’ve accepted it, so you accept it, embrace it, and enjoy the journey.”

“Now people that are latching on to it think I’m saying, ‘I’m black driver, look at me, I’m black driver.’ It’s like, no I’m not saying that at all,” Wallace continued.

“I’m just saying I’m going to be called that for years, because there ain’t nobody else but me.”

Bubba Wallace slams NASCAR for the crew chief sanctions

So far this season, Cup teams are having a tough time adapting to the new single lug nut wheel. And because of that, there have been mistakes, mistakes that are being punished and leading to some quite harsh penalties.

This was something that Bubba Wallace recently criticized NASCAR for.

“Last year with the five lug stuff, it was a time advantage. We were trying to cheat the system and when the wheel came off, you paid the price for it. Crew chief had an influence on that, the crew chief has no influence on the single lug nut now,” Wallace said.

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USA Today via Reuters

Bubba Wallace emphasized that no crew chief wants for his driver or his team, a scenario in which their race is over because of his own mistake, more so because crew chiefs get paid off on the basis of the results. “The better you do, the bigger the paycheck,” he added.

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“The four-week suspension needs to be revamped.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Reacts to NASCAR Boss Denny Hamlin’s “Unacceptable” NASCAR Criticism

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Written by:

Shaharyar Khan Chauhan

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Shaharyar is an F1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for a better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in future.
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