Bubba Wallace is a recognized and outspoken African American car racer who embraced love over hate.
Top 100 Best Bubba Wallace Quotes
- No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race.
- I've stood for the national anthem ever since grade school. It's a patriotic thing for me. I understand what Colin Kaepernick and others are doing, but it's not for me.
- Once we got to the race track, everybody called me Bubba - we created a brand around it. Now it's become a household name.
- It's an honor to be driving the 43.
- You know, it helps having an African American driver behind the wheel. I'm representing that culture and that background. But a lot of background pressure, I don't really put that on me. I know I have enough pressure to go out and perform every week.
- Once we started racing, my dad had his own industrial cleaning business about twenty minutes from the house, so we kept our race cars there.
- A typical off day for me, I'm hanging out at the house.
- I try to represent myself and my team the best that I can.
- This is a team sport.
- It all relies on teamwork. We could be running fifth all day, and we come down pit road for the last stop and the pit crew messes up, then we all go down and not just them.
- It's something we're trying to change and NASCAR is as a whole trying to bring in a younger fan base, a different-looking fan base, we're trying to change the whole demographic of the sport. Me going out to do that is something I'll take responsibility for.
- I've already got 10,000 more eyes on me because I am of color and they're going to see what I can do in the top series. That's enough pressure in itself, so I don't need to add extra pressure.
- From what I've learned I need to do, is let everything else go and focus on finishing the race and having fun.
- I need to go out there and run my own race, and have fun with it.
- Everybody's equal. Everybody should deserve the same opportunity, the same challenge, the same whatever.
- Nobody loves finishing second, as we've seen in past races. It's a sport that you want to get everything you can out of it, but sometimes it just doesn't work out.
- I'll go out there and prove to everybody that I belong to the Cup Series.
- I definitely feel like I'm carrying on the legacy of the Scott family. What Wendell had to go through was extremely difficult, but he kept racing, kept fighting. Part of him will be with me when I'm out on the track.
- I'm looking forward to it, to be able to represent the black culture... but I'm doing my best at managing it, keeping it behind me, and that's the best thing I can do.
- I've been a part of this sport for a really long time.
- I've hit a couple barriers out there on the racetrack growing up. There's definitely been some flak in the way. I've been able to handle that the best I could, ignore it, use that as motivation.
- Times get tough sometimes, you lose cool. At the end of the day it is one of the most demanding and grueling sports.
- The biggest thing is getting the kid in a kart - they have to buy it and that's the biggest thing. You can go to a sporting store and buy a basketball for 30 bucks or a football for 30 bucks. You go buy a go-kart and that's 300 bucks. What are you going to get? A basketball or a go-kart?
- It's short-track racing. You're going to get that and it's going to happen. I don't know why everybody thought it was the end of the world when wrecks were going to happen. Like I said, with close-quarter racing like that it's going to get heated.
- This is a dream come true to race for 'The King' Richard Petty Motorsports, the iconic No. 43 and for all the fans and partners that have and continue to support this team.
- We're all equal. We were all made the same.
- We all bleed the same color. It hurts when we bleed.
- No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race, so it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.
- This sport is changing.
- My mother said, 'Did you ever believe you would be an activist?' I said, 'No, not really.' But I just felt in my heart that I needed to step up and be a leader in the forefront.
- We have a lot of guys from different backgrounds in pit crews and even in the front offices of NASCAR and race teams.
- NASCAR - everybody thinks redneck, Confederate flags, racists. And I hate it. I hate it because I know NASCAR is so much more.
- Our sport has always had somewhat of a racist label to it.
- I chase checkered flags.
- Ever since being vocal in being a human being, I've been proud to kind of step away from Bubba Wallace the athlete and to step up as Bubba Wallace the human and not be so, 'I don't know If I can touch that;' 'I don't know if I can say these types of things.' I'm letting that guard down.
- I've always tried to bring in the competitive nature: 'Don't mess with me, I won't mess with you.' Let's race our hearts out.
- I am looked at as an African American guy because of the color of my skin. I am darker.
- I'm being tested each and every day. That's how life is.
- I've seen too many comments, too many stories from a fan, or first-time fans that have come to a race in years past and the first thing they say is, 'I seen the Confederate flag flying, it made me feel uncomfortable.'
- I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III.
- We want to be treated equally and not judged off our skin color.
- For me, I just want to be a role model, put a positive impact on the kids that are watching the sport, that want to be a part of the sport, and leave a good everlasting impact on the sport, continue my legacy down the road.
- No matter what faces you in life, always look up to God, and he will guide the way. You just have to walk that path very stern, and very proud.
- We've all got to make sure we're all pulling in the same direction. That's what's going to keep us ahead of the ball. As soon as we start getting in the opposite direction, that's when we start getting behind, and the results will start to show.
- We are much more than just drivers who drive a race car.
- Creating unity and compassion and understanding of each of our brothers and sisters is so powerful. We have to preach that to the ones that don't want to listen and understand.
- The encounters I had were very few, but they were powerful. The negative encounters I've had with law enforcement were very few, but they stood out.
- For me, it's always been to be on your toes about everything no matter what you do - my mom and dad always stressed that to me.
- When you sign up to become something, you're signing up to become something larger than yourself. Represent something more than yourself.
- We are ambassadors. We are leaders of our own brands, and then in life things are thrown at you, you have to stand up for what's right. That brings on a whole new role. It's not on the front of the agenda that you see, but if you read the fine print it's part of becoming an athlete and the pedestal you get with that.
- I've had my fair share of incidents with law enforcement, whether they're saying smart remarks, condescending remarks to downplay who I am and what I can afford... It's something that made me stronger on the back end of it, and learned from those instances.
- The Ahmaud Arbery video was the final straw for me in being silent. That shook me to the core like nothing has in the past. Something flipped inside of me to be more vocal and stand up for racial equality and make sure we get a hold on that and change the face of this world and get it to a better place.
- The people that don't want change, the ones that don't see how removing Confederate flag creates so much more opportunities for our sport to grow - they don't want our sport to grow.
- There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something they have seen, an object they have seen flying.
- Our voices carry so much more weight than Joe Schmo from down the street.
- We were fortunate enough to have our own business to keep us moving up through the ranks - go-karts, Bandoleros, Legend cars, Late Models. That's where we stalled out, but luckily we caught a break with Joe Gibbs Racing and the diversity program.
- Black lives matter just as much as White lives matter, just as much as Hispanic lives matter.
- I want to be a champion, and win races as much as I can and elevate my platforms and become an icon in the sport. It's going to take a lot of hard work and determination from my camp and for myself to get to where we need to be. I'm excited about the journey.
- I'm just a race car driver.
- That's a goal of mine and the sport. To become more diverse and change the demographic, bring in a new face.
- My mom told me, every weekend, always stay positive no matter what the circumstances. Stuff's gonna go down. It's not gonna be your race. Media is gonna take the bad before the good.
- People are entitled to their own opinion to make them feel good, to make them sleep at night.
- Times get tough sometimes, you lose cool.
- It's true, black lives do matter. It's not that we're saying no other lives matter.
- There's no need for me to go out there and try to set the world on fire, try to win races and put myself in a tough spot, not be able to capitalize on it. If the opportunity presents itself, yeah, we'll jump on it. There's no need for me to force a hole, end up tearing up a racecar.
- That's how I was taught. That's how I was raised, to ignore the stupidity, continue on and do what I need to do.
- I feel for everybody that goes through it because depression is real, and it doesn't take much to put you in that state of mind to where you think everybody's against you, you're up against the world and that's not true.
- It's actually one of the only things that I do that I don't get frustrated over. Everything else I do - racing, golf, video games - those things I want to win at. With photography, I think the camera wins every time.
- I was so young when I started that I didn't really understand all of it. We'd show up and have the slurs being thrown out there, but my parents always dealt with that. They just told me to go out there, do my best, and try to win. Go out there and race well and they'll shut right up.
- I used to go out there and think I've got to do this to help better the sport - I've got to go out there and run top five and try to win a race. Now I just go out there and do my best, and hopefully it settles it.
- I'm African-American. There are more eyes on me than anybody. They're going to take the negative before the positive.
- From Richard Petty to Andy Murstein, everybody at RPM is standing behind me and believing in me on track and also following me through this journey off track and letting me find my way and find my voice in standing up for what's right.
- I believe in what Richard Petty Motorsports is doing and their desire to win races.
- Everybody should live their lives to the fullest with no hassles, no hold-backs, no matter what age, what color you are... I don't have an issue talking about it, taking the forefront of it.
- I've always been a person that has said what's on my mind and stand behind it with a lot of heart and passion.
- People want to dethrone you from the pedestal that you're on when you have a platform, when you have a voice.
- I'll never be intimidated by somebody, and I will treat you will respect as long as I'm treated with respect.
- It's simple-minded people like that, the ones that are afraid of change, they use everything in their power to defend what they stand up for instead of trying to listen and understand what's going on.
- Systemic racism is a problem from every aspect of life.
- The year 2020 will be one to forget for sure.
- I see all these professional photographers out at the racetrack, and there's all these people across the world, taking really cool pictures and you're like, 'Man, I want to create that!' I had that mindset when I first grabbed a camera.
- I have all of my firesuits and helmets, and my parents collect all the newspaper articles and pictures and stuff like that.
- It takes a lot to get me really excited.
- I just kind of go by the theory of, 'Don't knock it until you try it.'
- I don't wreck people on purpose - unless they give me a legit reason, but it takes me a lot to do that.
- I enjoy watching those reality shows.
- I don't really watch much TV. I'm usually into movies.
- I do laundry, but my bags from the last race will sit there until the very last minute that I have to do laundry again.
- At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what other people think. You're out there running your own race and you want to run everybody as clean as possible.
- I've done the Stratosphere stuff in Vegas, but I haven't skydived or anything like that.
- I watch too many scary movies.
- I encourage people to have those tough conversations just to educate yourself on what goes on and how we can create equality in the world and grow together as one.
- It's like Richard Petty always said, 'Racing isn't the job. That's where we get away from our job.' That's where we go out and have fun and get away from the madness. No one can bother you in there. There's no phones, no interviews - it's just you, driving.
- If you know me, I don't hold back. I take what I can get, and whatever falls.
- We're definitely going to get some flak each and every day, whether it's social-media keyboard warriors, or people in person.
- You try to be the best you can and sometimes it ain't damn good enough.
- I wouldn't want to be the guy who went out and won a championship in a horrible year but never made a comment on the issues that we are dealing with in our society.
- We have that platform to tell something and that voice to tell people we have got to stop and change our ways. That's just how I think about it.
- I've never had any issues with racism or racist people at the track for as long as I've been racing in NASCAR. All of that stuff that has happened to my face took place when I was coming up. And a lot of what I get now on social media is 13- and 14-year-old kids just trying to act tough. Well, I'll call them out.
- My African-American friends thought it was cool that I was racing. It's not like we had any role models out there to look up to, so everyone understood I was doing something very different.
Bubba Wallace Trivia
- Bubba was introduced to racing at 9 years old by his dad. His mom, Desiree said, “By the time Bub got into racing when he was 9-years-old, my daughter was already established in basketball with AAU"
- Wallace — who began competing in races when he was 9 — heard a racial slur while at a racetrack. He had to ask his parents to explain what the slur meant.
- Bubba’s Mom was reluctant for her son to become a NASCAR driver. She said “It’s not that I didn’t like the sport, Being in an interracial marriage all those years, I grew up watching NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Sr., was our favorite driver before he passed, and my brother-in-law was a driver in Nashville, Tennessee so I went to a couple of races and I knew a little bit about it. But, I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted for Bubba…At the end of the day, Bub was committed to it. So here we are.”
- Bubba's Dad, Darrell Sr. was also concerned about the pressure Bubba has been under after debuting a Black Lives Matter paint scheme on the track and NASCAR’s investigation into a noose found in his Talladega garage stall which was found to be a hoax by FBI.
- On 21 September 2020, Michael Jordan announced he along side NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin have created a NASCAR team, named 23XI Racing with Wallace serving as the first driver in the No. 23.
- In 2017, his voice was used for the Bubba Wheelhouse character in the animated movie titled “Cars 3".
Best Bubba Wallace Achievements
- NASCAR Pro Series East’s youngest winner and the first African-American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.
- In 2008, Wallace was named as the “Rookie of the Year” by the UARA-Stars.
- In 2018, he became the highest placed African-American in the Daytona 500 series.