Bubba Wallace is no stranger to taking heat from fans. Earlier this year, the controversial driver lost a major sponsor after quitting an iRacing event. He made headlines again June after a middle finger incident that he dubbed a "double-standard." Now, Wallace is taking aim at NASCAR fans who are against the sport's recent push for diversity and inclusion.
He made the comments ahead of this past weekend's Chicago Street Race. On June 28, Wallace hosted an event called "Bubba's Block Party" at the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago to help drive "awareness, access, and engagement" to NASCAR in the Black community. There were plenty of activities for NASCAR fans of all ages, along with musical entertainment headlined by Lupe Fiasco.
Bubba?s Block Party Chicago was a huge success! Big thanks to Lupe Fiasco, all the partners, and @NASCAR for getting this done. This is just one of the ways we?re working to bring new faces to this sport?? pic.twitter.com/wTHVoywuqF
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 29, 2023
At the event, Wallace was asked by reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times why he was viewed as one of the most unpopular drivers in the sport. He wasn't afraid to point out some fans' unwillingness to change as NASCAR becomes more inclusive to everyone.
"I've always said there's three types of people: the ones that will accept change, the ones that are on the fence about change, and the ones that will never change," Wallace said. "You can never get to the minds of the people that will never change, so we don't really focus our energy on those people. We try to convince the ones that are on the fence about change."
"Unfortunately, a lot of people don't like changes that we're doing as a sport to tap into different demographics and make the sport more welcoming and inclusive, and that's on them," he continued. "They have to live with that. For us, we continue to march forward."
Wallace was among the many drivers who didn't have good fortune at Chicago's street race on Sunday, as his performance was affected by the inclement weather. He ended the day with a 31st-place finish in a race that saw New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen win in his NASCAR debut.
His poor performance aside, one question remains: How much more negativity is Wallace willing to take from the fans of the sport he loves?
