NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was booed during a recent race, and some in the crowd reportedly cheered when he crashed his car.
Wallace, NASCAR’s only full-time black driver, was met with some hostility during Wednesday’s qualifier in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was the first with a sizable number of fans since NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from events. Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press wrote on Twitter that the No. 43 driver was booed by fans.
“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,” Fryer said.
Wallace made it out of the wreck without any major injuries.
She also noted that Confederate flags were still seen around the area despite NASCAR’s ban.
“FWIW, in addition to Confederate flag flying over Bristol there was another hanging off a balcony of a condo across from the main entrance as well as others along Speedway Blvd. Spoke to fan @Matt2Harrison and he said he [saw] many flags on shirts and other items in stands,” Fryer said.
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
In June, and in the wake of George Floyd’s death and subsequent protests, Wallace announced that he supported the Confederate flag’s removal from NASCAR, and the following day, NASCAR announced that it would ban the Confederate symbol from all events.
Wallace also made headlines when a noose-shaped rope was found in the garage assigned to him at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. An FBI investigation concluded that Wallace was not the target of a hate crime.
Wallace recently dismissed the notion 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 told Desus & Mero in an interview that aired Thursday. “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. We would go there and drink beer, have a good time, and hang out. It wasn’t like they don’t want you there.”
