If there’s one NASCAR driver who polarizes fans with as much adoration as animosity, it’s Bubba Wallace, the sport’s only current Black driver. While he champions diversity initiatives like ‘Bubba Wallace’s Block Party,’ his achievements on the track have yet to match his fame in the public eye.
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Recently, anticipation for the Daytona 500 was fueled by a post on the Fox on NASCAR page, which followed the Super Bowl hype with, “One week after the Super Bowl, the Great American Race February 16, only on FOX!” The promotional post featured Wallace alongside noted drivers Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin, sparking debate among fans about his inclusion.
One fan criticized the promotional choice, commenting, “Nice graphic. Champion, champion, champion, 1st ballot hof’er annnnnnnd a random who can’t even make playoffs has 3 total wins and is on a 70 plus race losing streak. Got it.”
Meanwhile, another expressed confusion, saying, “Why is Wallace in that promo? Of all the drivers the guy wasn’t even in the playoffs. Nascar tries so hard to push this guy.”
One detractor sharply criticized Wallace, stating, “So funny that woke NASCAR puts a loser like @BubbaWallace on their marketing. He sucks and can only cry and find a fake noose. He is the reason your ratings suck.”
Just five weeks away … @NASCARONFOX https://t.co/MA51M44XGP
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 12, 2025
Elliott’s achievements include a championship in 2020 and eight playoff appearances in his nine full-time NASCAR Cup seasons since 2016, finishing P7 in 2024. Logano boasts three championships in his 17-year Cup career, winning titles in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Larson, a beauty in recent seasons, secured a Cup championship in 2021 and finished P6 in 2024, winning six races — the most of any driver in the season.
Hamlin, who was also featured in the video, has captured three Daytona 500 victories and remains one of the most consistent performers in NASCAR. Though he hasn’t won a Cup championship, his 54 career wins over 20 years position him among the top 10 winningest NASCAR drivers of all time.
Wallace, on the other hand, has only won two NASCAR Cup Series races in eight years and 255 starts. Over his seven full-time Cup seasons, Wallace only made it to the playoffs once, in 2023, and that was based on points.
Wallace’s Daytona 500 record
Wallace’s performance in the Daytona 500 has been influential, holding the distinction of being the highest-finishing African-American in the event’s history, securing P2 place in both 2018 and 2022. Despite these milestones, Wallace has faced challenges in achieving consistent, significant results in NASCAR.
But his 2018 achievement, at 24, marked an important milestone for him and his community.
Wallace was moved during his post-race news conference, overwhelmed by his emotions following his historic finish. Reflecting on the importance of the moment, the #23 Toyota driver shared, “It’s a sensitive subject, but I’m just so emotional over where my family has been the last two years, and I don’t talk about it, but it’s just so hard.”
He continued, “So, having them here to support me is … pull it together, bud, pull it together. You just finished second. It’s awesome. I just try so hard to be successful at everything I do, and my family pushes me each and every day, and they might not even know it, but I just want to make them proud.”
In the 2024 season, Wallace also achieved a top-5 finish at the Daytona 500, which he followed up with another top-5 placement at Atlanta in the season’s second race. It will be intriguing to watch him navigate the 2.500 mi (4.023 km) high-speed tri-oval again in February 2025.
