Bubba Wallace is now a NASCAR Cup Series winner. It's okay.
Talladega Superspeedway was the place he did it, the most improbable of all racetracks. He completed it in a rain-shortened race, which is the most difficult of all race strategies. He did it while driving for a team that was co-owned by the greatest player in basketball, Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.
Wallace celebrated his victory by crying and jumping like a child, and then he dropped a loud cuss word live on national television. He didn't let any hater weigh on him, no matter what they tried.
Wallace stated, standing on a wet pit road in the rain moments after NASCAR called off the race with only 71 laps remaining. He also warned that darkness was approaching. You're going through a lot ---.. You have to be true to yourself and not let the nonsense distract you. Keep strong, be humble, and never lose sight of your goals. There were many times when I wanted to quit. You surround yourself with the right people, and moments like these are what you will appreciate."
There were many brave-from the-couch responses for every congratulatory tweet that was posted Monday afternoon, and throughout the evening. They tried to downplay what had just occurred by bringing up all the above-mentioned detriments in an attempt to make it seem trivial. They also threw in the so-easily-predictable added extra bonus of debating what is or is not a noose, digging up social media-penned conspiracy theories and whatever other digital cave drawings they could scribble out.
William Darrell Wallace Jr. doesn’t care what your opinions are. He doesn't care about your snarky opinions on motorsports history, which he and his team made after a weather-delayed Talladega Throwdown. You might not want to tweet, post, and scream as much as you would like. Your smartphone bullhorns should be pointed into an empty closet.
Wallace isn’t listening. He isn't even reading it. He's not reading it unless he wants a late-night chuckle.
Wallace used to read it all with disbelief, heartbreak, and chuckles. But that was quite a while back. He was only four days away from his 28th birthday and had just become the adult man he is today. He was at the exact place he won Monday's race, but he was also unwittingly dragged along a July 2020 scandal involving what the FBI repeatedly called a "noose" that was found in his garage stall. He was left in a bind by NASCAR's poor handling.
He was a race winner at the highest level of stock car racing before he won.
Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin share a victory hug at Talladega on Monday. Chris Graythen/Getty Images
His history aside, Monday's performance was remarkable. He avoided the Big One's disaster. He raced his wheels on the last green-flag laps. He won his fourth Cup season in a full-time race car, for Team 23XI. This team was started by Denny Hamlin and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. It was the first team to have a crew or a shop less than one year ago. Wallace's win was also the culmination of the first NASCAR race weekend that saw first-time winners sweep all three major national events.
The history is too important to ignore. It's important to remember that Wallace was the first Black driver to win at NASCAR’s highest level since December 1963. This span included 2,040 races and was the second-ever. It is also important to note that only 198 drivers have won a Cup Series race in the 73-year history of Cup Series racing. This includes 2,673 races. Bubba Wallace was the 198th winner of the race on Monday.
This is one more Cup Series win than all social media Cro-Magnons who have ever attempted to follow Wallace.
"This is not the right time for them. This is Bubba’s time. Dreamers who love NASCAR racing are at the right time. This is our moment. Warrick Scott was the man who spoke on the phone, just an hour after Wallace won Talladega. His grandfather, Wendell Scott (who won the race in '63) was the one who spoke on the phone. He had until Wallace arrived been the only Black full-time racer in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Warrick is now working alongside his father Frank to run the Wendell Scott Foundation, which aims to provide better opportunities for at-risk young people. The passion of the organization and the promise that it will help you have a better future are its driving forces. Wallace's family has been close to Wallace ever since he was a teenager, when he entered NASCAR. The Scotts are always on the lookout for examples from real life to show at-risk youth that dreaming and hoping isn’t just for fairy tales. It is possible.
Between Wendell Scott’s 1963 victory and Bubba Wallace’s win on Monday, there were 2,040 Cup Series races. ISC Images & Archives/Getty Images
Monday afternoon was a great day for them when Bubba Wallace gave them the best example they had ever seen.
Warrick stated that it was not a matter of whether Bubba would win but where he would win first from his home. The sound of the family's celebration can still be heard behind Warrick's house. "Talladega was the racetrack where my grandfather nearly died in a wreck in 1973. It is the place that took Papa out the game. Talladega was the place where Bubba had been through so much. Talladega is that place where you can't win by chance. Talladega requires you to drive it. You must kick butt. Anyone who watched those laps before it rained knows that Bubba Wallace was at the wheel. He was the master."
Warrick watched the laps along with his two sons, Warrick Jr. (11 years old) and Wendell (5 years old). Warrick raced through Monday's school carpool line, then raced home to see their finish. They jumped in their den as Wallace celebrated his victory. Frank answered the phone. It was then all the other members of the family. It seemed as if everyone in the world was watching.
Warrick stated, "Every conversation was the same." It will continue this way for quite some time. Excitement. Inspiration. Inspiration. That's just beautiful for the sport my grandfather loved and Bubba loves.
Warrick Scott could not stop laughing. The giddy giggle you get when your face doesn’t know what to do.
He said, "This is pure joy." "There is no hatred here. Even if there were, we don't have the ability to hear them. We are too busy celebrating."
