Unpacking NASCAR's need for Bubba Wallace, how sport is changing heading into Daytona 500

The importance of Bubba Wallace and NASCAR working in unison go beyond racing.

NASCAR, which kickstarts its Cup season Sunday with the Daytona 500, needs Wallace as much as Wallace needs NASCAR. Especially if the sport is to grow beyond the attendance struggles and declining TV ratings that have plagued the sport for more than a decade.

Especially if the sport is going to tap into more diverse audiences.

Diversity is the drawing card when it comes to marketing NASCAR and their expiring TV contract with Fox and NBC, which runs through 2024. Former NASCAR female driver Danica Patrick helped grow the sports for little girls who wanted to race, and similar impacts are still being felt through NASCAR racing programs for minorities, of which Wallace, Daniel Suarez and Kyle Larson participated.

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But Wallace particularly has the charisma and talent to attract Black people who might not give the sport a second thought, and his impact already is being felt. In 2021, Denny Hamlin, who is Wallace’s boss, ran HBCU themes of Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, LeMoyne-Owen College and Tennessee State on his car.

“Bubba is important to the sport,” NBC NASCAR announcer Kyle Petty said. "It doesn't matter if he wins or is competitive — he has to show up. His presence in the sport is different than when Danica (Patrick) was in the sport. She opened a lot of doors for women. But with Bubba, it is totally different. He has the talent to win if he is in the right equipment. He just means so much to the African American community.”

Car owners Joe Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Jack Roush and Richard Petty have hired Wallace at various stages of his career, helping him to develop into a two-time race winner now aligned with NBA legend Michael Jordan. Jordan and Hamlin formed the 23XI Racing team Wallace will compete for again this season.

With the 2023 NASCAR season ready to start, Wallace spoke to the Clarion Ledger about his pursuit of racing glory in the backdrop of his bigger mission to continue Wendell Scott's legacy and carve a path for more Black people in the sport:

CL:  This is your sixth year in NASCAR, how have you changed?

BW: Every year and race is different. There are always obstacles thrown at you, you have to react differently  and know which races are going to be your race. We did some good things last year and we are constantly evolving. I feel more confident than I ever have going into this year.

CL: Do you ever think there will come a time when you won’t be known a Black driver to win a race or just a driver?

BW: Yeah, I don’t know if that will ever come. Until we start looking like the NBA or NFL, I don’t know. We have a lot of work to do to get to that point, but I understand my position and role outside of driving race cars and so it is just take it one day at a time and try to navigate through it the best way you can.

CL: Do you see yourself as a role model for African Americans, and what does Black History Month mean to you?

BW: Yeah, I do. I am reminded of it a lot when I get questions like this or my mom or family. It is interesting because you are under a microscope every step of the way and sometimes you might make a mistake and you are reminded: 'Hey, you have so many people looking up to you, you have to be careful what you say, eat, and drink.' It is a part of it, and I enjoy it.

CL: What are your thoughts on Wendell Scott opening doors for you?

BW: The Scott family has been great. They were huge supporters of me before I even made it big. It is an honor to know that family and to see the impact that he (Scott) still has on the sport. The opposite is that it has been a humbling process of trying to carry the torch and we’ve carried it further and I expect when I’m done for my torch to be carried further than what I did. It means a lot to the family and it means a lot to me to carry on the legacy of Wendell Scott.

CL: What kind of bosses is Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin?

BW: Competitive. Both are super competitive.They push us to be the best that we can be. Denny’s been around for a handful of years. He thinks he knows this sport inside and out and he's a walking notebook.

MJ, he’s there. He wants to make sure you have all of the resources and everything in place to win.

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CL: How did the ride with Jordan come about and was it a hard decision to leave Petty Enterprises?

BW: Yeah, I looked at the future of what I was trying to do. The Petty’s were a really small team and they were doing a lot with a little. They weren’t really moving the needle. They were fighting hard for sponsorship and to keep everything in place trying to make things work and we were. And then the deal with MJ (Michael Jordan), Denny and Toyota came about and I could kind of see the future a little bit more clearer with this opportunity so - it wasn’t an easy move at all. I had a lot of reserves about even making the switch. It’s been pretty good.

CL: How have the Pettys helped your career?

BW: They gave me my shot. It was my first Cup ride in 2017, and it was a full-time opportunity for the next three years. That was really special to be a part of a team that was family oriented. I took a lot of what I learned out of the race track and inside the car on how to jell with the team. I brought a lot of that over here to the 23XI team. I am really grateful to the Petty’s and it has been a blessing racing for them and against them.

CL: What are you expecting this year in the Daytona 500 after finishing second last year?

BW: Daytona is such a crapshoot, for a lack of a better word. You never know what to expect. It takes a full team effort from myself, spotter and crew chief to make sure we are there at the end to give ourselves a chance to win and survive all of the wrecks. If we can finish one spot better this year, that would be great.

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CL: You won at Talladega and Kansas, what tracks do you have to improve at?

BW: Road courses come first to my mind. There are a handful of tracks we have circled on the schedule: Richmond that we have to be better at.

CL: What are your goals this year besides winning a championship?

BW: I think you have to look at what we did last year, the second half of the season. We started LA (Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum) like that. We started up front and led some laps the majority of the night. We just have to continue to do that. We have to run up front more consistently and get more top five’s, top 10s and get more stage wins. The whole nine, to get ourselves in the playoff and get to the championship.

CL: Are you a lifer?

BW: Oh yeah. I have to win a lot more races before I think about owning a race team. Owning a team is not in the cards right now.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Bubba Wallace winning NASCAR races is crucial entering Daytona 500