NASCAR Fans Divided On Bubba Wallace's Latest Political Comments
Let's start the day with maybe the two most polarizing topics in America – politics, and Bubba Wallace. That's right. Are we getting the juices FLOWING today, or what?!
Everyone's favorite NASCAR driver joined OutKick's Trey Wallace earlier this week for a long convo, covering anything and everything under the sun. Yes, they have the same last name. No, they are not the same color. Yes, they are cousins.
Got that? Good, because Lord knows I can't explain it any further.
Anyway, the Wallaces talked Michael Jordan, and Tennessee athletics, and kids … and, of course, Donald Trump. Last month, Trump was at the Daytona 500. It sparked memories of that fateful race at Talladega back in the summer of 2020 – the worst summer of all time, by the way.
For those who blocked it out, that's when a "noose" was found hanging on Wallace's garage stall. The whole sport panicked, inexplicably called the FBI, and yelled "hate crime!"
Except, it wasn't any of that. It was just a pull-rope fashioned onto the garage to open and close it. That's it. Whoops!
ESPN and the AP won't tell you that, by the way, but I will. Seriously, they refuse to admit any of it. Insane.
Anyway, Bubba and Trump sort of went at it back then, and he's been in the spotlight ever since. We all caught up now? Great, here's Wallace diving in a bit further with Trey earlier this week:
NASCAR fans ain't thrilled, and they'll probably never be
"Everything is red or blue, but I'm a person who just sees people how they are, and I want to be treated with respect, so I treat them with respect."
For me, that's the comment that sticks out most. It's a departure from the old Bubba, and shows he's trying to distance himself from the noose nonsense best he can, without actually saying it.
Now, I know a ton of y'all want some sort of apology for that dog and pony show, and I get it. It was silly. The optics of the entire garage pushing Bubba's car down pit road in a show of solidarity look silly now when you know how the story ends. Really, reallllllllllly silly.
But, I will say this – that was a NASCAR-created problem more than a Bubba one. NASCAR jumped the gun because they were so scared of getting canceled, and screamed ‘hate crime!’ before doing an ounce of investigating.
Don't forget, this was the most racially-charged time of the past 30 years. The George Floyd stuff had just happened. The country was on edge – and also shut down due to COVID. Bad combo.
NASCAR wanted to play the part of hero, and instead ruined any remaining credibility. Bubba certainly leaned into it – and I've been critical of him for that – but to say he started it would be false.
Anyway, shockingly, his above comments – as moderate as they sound – sparked a shitstorm on social media.
Can't believe that would happen with NASCAR fans. They're usually so calm!
Whoaaaaaaaaaa Nellie! See? Just a firehose of content. What a minefield. For those who thought enough time had passed, and NASCAR fans had forgiven Bubba Wallace … it has not. Well, it has for some.
For others, as you can see … nope. They ain't fans. Won't ever be fans. Won't ever forget the summer race at 'Dega five years ago.
I get it, by the way. It was embarrassing. But, again, I put that more on NASCAR. The insufferable wokes who run the sport needed that to be a noose, and they declared it a noose before doing even an ounce of digging.
That's a NASCAR problem, not a Bubba one. But, Bubba going on 47 CNN shows after that and playing it up? Sure, that's on Bubba. He's a drama queen. I won't mince words. He's better than he used to be, but he's still a drama queen.
Anyway, he's clearly moved on – or at least he's trying to. Some fans haven't. It's one great, big, divided family.
Thanks to Trey for scoring the interview, though!
Where do you stand? Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.