Bubba Wallace Named First Black Racer To Win A NASCAR Cup Since 1963: It’s Pretty D*mn Cool

Bubba Wallace Named First Black Racer To Win A NASCAR Cup Since 1963: It’s Pretty D*mn Cool

Bubba Wallace recently made history by becoming the second-ever Black man–and the first in 58 years–to win a NASCAR Cup!

Yesterday (Monday, Oct. 4th), Bubba Wallace (real name William Wallace Jr.) won the YellaWood 500 NASCAR race. The event took place at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, and was shortened from 188 to 118 laps due to harsh rain. Notably, Bubba Wallace became the second Black person to win a NASCAR Cup in American history. It had been 58 years since a Black racer had won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Back in 1963, Wendell Scott became the first Black person to win a NASCAR Cup. At the time–still in the Jim Crow Era–Wendell Scott was largely considered an underdog in the sport, which is still predominately white. He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame back in 2015.

Shortly after his historic win, Bubba Wallace was asked about how he felt to be the second African-American to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. In response, the 27-year-old racer emotionally said:

“I never think about those things. When you say it like that, it obviously beings a lot of emotion, a lot of joy to my family, fans, friends–it’s pretty d*mn cool. Just proud to be a winner in the Cup Series.”

"Just proud to be a winner in the Cup Series."

An emotional @BubbaWallace at @Talladega. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/b2O4QpCDMa

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 4, 2021

He later added:

“This is to all those kids out there that want to have an opportunity in whatever they want to achieve and be the best at what they want to do.”

Congratulations to Bubba Wallace on making history with his recent NASCAR win!

[VIA]