How Bubba Wallace built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Bubba Wallace Jr. is a prominent American professional stock car racing driver. He currently races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, piloting the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. As one of the few African-American drivers in NASCAR's top tier, he has gained significant attention and recognition, making him a notable figure in the sport.
In 2005, at the age of nine, Bubba Wallace won 35 of the 48 Bandolero Series races held that year.
In 2008, Bubba Wallace became the youngest driver to win at Franklin County Speedway in Virginia.
In 2010, Wallace began competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, driving for Rev Racing as part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program and was signed as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. He won his first race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, becoming the youngest driver to win at the track and in the series history.
In 2011, Wallace achieved three wins in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, at Richmond International Raceway, Columbus Motor Speedway, and Dover International Speedway. He finished second in points to Max Gresham.
In 2012, Wallace raced for Joe Gibbs Racing, winning the second K&N East event of the year at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, marking his first win with JGR.
In February 2013, it was announced that Wallace would run a full season in the Camping World Truck Series in the No. 54 Toyota owned by Kyle Busch Motorsports.
On December 8, 2014, Wallace announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing after struggling to find sponsorship, to seek other opportunities.
On December 18, 2014, Roush Fenway Racing officially announced they had signed Wallace to compete full-time in the No. 6 Ford Mustang in 2015.
In 2014, Wallace returned to the Camping World Truck Series full-time. In June, Wallace won the Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park. He won the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway and the Kroger 200 at Martinsville, dedicating the latter to Wendell Scott. He won the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway, finishing third in points.
In 2014, Wallace returned to the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. In May, at Talladega Superspeedway he finished 34th. In July at Daytona with Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign sponsoring, he finished 7th.
On January 28, 2015, at NASCAR Media Day, it was announced that Wallace would drive the No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang.
On June 5, 2017, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that Wallace would drive the team's No. 43 Ford in place of the injured Aric Almirola, making Wallace the first African-American to race in the Cup Series since Bill Lester in 2006.
On October 25, 2017, Wallace was officially introduced as the new driver of the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports. He is the first African-American driver to have a full-time Cup ride since Wendell Scott in 1971.
In 2018, Wallace returned to K&N East at Watkins Glen, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet for Jefferson Pitts Racing to gain extra road course experience before the Cup Series race that weekend.
During the 2019 season, Wallace won the second stage of the Monster Energy Open and finishing fifth in the All-Star Race. At Watkins Glen, he spun Kyle Busch off the track on lap 61.
In May 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Bubba Wallace began speaking out against the abuse of African Americans by the police, becoming the face of stock car racing's involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.
On June 8, 2020, Bubba Wallace called on NASCAR to prohibit displays of the Confederate battle flag at NASCAR races.
On June 10, 2020, NASCAR officially banned the display of the Confederate flag at its events.
On September 10, 2020, Wallace announced he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the 2020 season.
On September 21, 2020, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin created 23XI Racing. Wallace was announced as the first driver in the No. 23 car.
In 2020, Bubba Wallace founded and runs the Live to be Different Foundation. He also won the National Motorsports Press Association's Pocono Spirit Award and the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award.
In 2020, Wallace reunited with crew chief Jerry Baxter. He finished sixth at the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas. The season was halted after four races due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, at the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 NASCAR race, Bubba Wallace's car featured a special paint scheme to honor Black Lives Matter, including an illustration of black and white hands interlocking, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and the phrase "Compassion, Love, Understanding."
In March 2021, Wallace joined Spencer Davis Motorsports to drive their No. 11 in the Pinty's Dirt Truck Race on Bristol Motor Speedway's dirt layout, finishing 11th.
On October 4, 2021, Wallace earned his first career Cup win at Talladega after the race was shortened due to rain. Wallace is the first African-American driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963. Wallace also scored the first win for a McDonald's-sponsored car since Jimmy Spencer in 1994.
In 2021 Bubba Wallace had his first win at Talladega.
In 2021, Bootie Barker became the crew chief for Bubba Wallace.
On March 29, 2022, crew chief Bootie Barker was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the 2022 Texas Grand Prix at COTA. Dave Rogers was announced as Wallace's crew chief for several races.
On August 31, 2022, it was announced that Bubba Wallace, along with crew chief Barker, would switch rides at 23XI for the remainder of the season, moving to the No. 45 car to pursue the owner's championship.
In 2023, Bubba Wallace started the season with a 20th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and made the playoffs for the first time in his career. Despite improving in overall points, achieving 5 top 5 finishes, and 10 top 10 finishes, 2023 marked Wallace's first winless season since his first win at Talladega in 2021. He advanced to the Round of 12 following the Bristol night race, but was later eliminated at the Charlotte Roval race.
In 2024, Bubba Wallace had a promising start with two fifth-place finishes but faced struggles and a 35th-place finish at Las Vegas. He later achieved a fourth-place finish at Martinsville and several top 10 finishes. At the Chicago Street Race on July 7, Wallace spun out after a collision with Alex Bowman and intentionally collided with Bowman's car post-race, resulting in a $50,000 fine. Following the Martinsville playoff race, Wallace was docked 50 owner and driver points and fined US$100,000 for race manipulation, finishing the 2024 NASCAR season in 18th place overall. On October 30, 23XI Racing announced that Charles Denike would replace Bootie Barker as crew chief in 2025.
On October 30, 23XI Racing announced that Charles Denike, who comes from the Truck Series, would be Wallace’s crew chief in 2025.
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