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Blavity News is a community and platform for Black Voices, Stories, Creators and thought.
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News

Bubba Wallace Booed While Being Introduced Before NASCAR Race

Reporters said fans cheered after Wallace, who was vocal about his opposition to the presence of Confederate flags in the sport, crashed.

by Alyssa Curtis

July 20, 2020 at 6:44 pm

Following racial tensions within NASCAR, the league’s only full-time Black driver was booed and then subsequently crashed in Wednesday’s race.

Bubba Wallace was booed when introduced during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, the first event that saw several thousand fans since the league banned Confederate flags, reports Deadline. Despite the ban, numerous Confederate flags were spotted around Bristol Motor Speedway. Wallace had been vocal about his desire for the league to ban the flag.

During the qualifying race for the main event, Wallace, who drives No. 43, was hit on the right side of the back bumper by driver Michael McDowell. McDowell’s move led to Wallace’s car turning and crashing into the wall, and the damage rendered the vehicle unusable.

A big crash involving @BubbaWallace and @Mc_Driver!

Our first caution of the night is out in the All-Star Open at @BMSupdates. pic.twitter.com/W8OoykuuFs
— NASCAR Alerts (@NASCAR_Alerts) July 15, 2020

Attendees cheered after the collision, according to Associated Press sports reporter Jenna Fryer.

Bubba Wallace was also booed when he was introduced, and many cheered when he crashed. NASCAR still has a lot of work to do to back up its position. The group Justice 4 Diversity held signs along Speedway Blvd. after the race.
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) July 16, 2020

Wallace was evaluated and then released from infield care and made it out with no major injuries, according to the Washington Examiner.

Prior to the wreck, Wallace had been in the lead to gain the fan vote, which would qualify him for the main event even if he had not won the race, reports For The Win. But without a vehicle to race with, his standing in the fan vote did not matter.

Following the accident, the 26-year-old was upset and called McDowell a joke.

“Oh, just disrespect. … When you get hooked the right rear into the wall, I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that. Yeah, wow. People say one of the nicest guys in the garage. Can’t wait for the God-fearing text he’s going to send me about preaching and praising respect. What a joke he is,” Wallace said.

"What a joke he is." @BubbaWallace on @Mc_Driver. pic.twitter.com/3l2RIloWqH
— NASCAR Alerts (@NASCAR_Alerts) July 15, 2020

Despite the harsh words he had for his competitor, the Alabama native dropped off his damaged bumper to McDowell’s hauler, reports USA Today. The bumper will be auctioned off by McDowell’s team, Front Row Motorsports, and the NASCAR Foundation with proceeds being donated to Motor Racing Outreach, a Christian organization that provides “spiritual support to drivers and their families.”

The highest bid currently is $15,400, and the auction will be open until July 27.

When life gives you lemons, auction them off and raise money for @FollowMRO. May not agree to what happened on track, but we can agree on a positive outcome from the situation. https://t.co/F8cyXdjEmv
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 17, 2020

A day after the incident, Wallace denied claims that all NASCAR fans are racist.

“We always want to pay attention to the negative, but the narrative that’s been out there now is saying all NASCAR fans are racist, and whatnot, and that’s totally not true,” Wallace said on Showtime’s Desus & Mero.

“I’ve gone down … in the infield at Talladega, wherever it’s at, Daytona, Texas, Michigan, and I never knew if people were flying the Confederate flag," he continued. "We would go there and drink beer, have a good time and hang out. It wasn’t like they don’t want you there.”

In an article for the Players Tribune published last Thursday, Wallace restated the necessity of the flag's removal.

"When someone from my community says that this hurts them?? I’m gonna say, 'Take that s**t down,'" Wallace wrote. "It just alienates people. I’m still educating myself on these issues just like everyone else. If you dive back deep, and read about the Confederacy — which I’m still learning about as well — you understand what those people were fighting for. People will say anything to defend it. But make no mistake: It was a war over slavery."