Bubba Wallace wants to make it clear that he doesn’t think all NASCAR fans are racist and neither should you.
Wallace made an appearance on the Desus & Mero episode on Thursday night and had an extensive interview with the hosts about his career and his role in NASCAR’s efforts to ban the Confederate flag. NASCAR banned the flag on June 10, the same day Wallace drove a car supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in Martinsville.
“We always want to pay attention to the negative, but the narrative that has been out there now says that all NASCAR fans are racist, and that is not true,” Wallace told the hosts. in the infield at Talladega, wherever I am, in Daytona, Texas, Michigan, and I never knew if people were waving the Confederate flag. We would go there and drink beer, have a good time and hang out. It wasn’t like they don’t want you there. “
Wallace, the only black driver to run full-time in NASCAR, had been in talks with NASCAR executives about the flag ban in the days leading up to the announcement. It came two days after Wallace said on CNN that he thought the flag should be banned on NASCAR tracks.
However, he is well aware that his box travel habits may have to change in the future due to his drive to ban the flag. Wallace said in June that he can no longer be the “happy and lucky guy” who randomly goes to the infield to hang out with fans once NASCAR begins allowing access to the infield on its tracks again.
Wallace has made it clear that his desire to ban the flag came in pursuit of greater inclusion in racing. NASCAR recognized this and has repeatedly stated its desire for a more inclusive environment at its events.
Wednesday night’s All-Star race, where Michael McDowell crashed in a qualifying race, was the first time a significant number of fans were allowed in a race since the flag ban, as Bristol Motor Speedway sold thousands of tickets for the exhibition.
Bubba Wallace did not make it to the All-Star Race. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey)
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