History of Bubba Wallace in Timeline

Bubba Wallace is a prominent American professional stock car racing driver, currently competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. Wallace is known for being a vocal advocate for racial equality within NASCAR and has been a significant figure in increasing diversity in the sport. His career has been marked by both on-track successes and off-track activism, making him a notable personality in motorsports.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

December 1, 1963: Wendell Scott's Win

On December 1, 1963, Wendell Scott had his Grand National Division win, the only previous win by an African-American driver before Wallace's win in 2013.

1963: Wendell Scott's Win

In 1963, Wendell Scott had his Grand National Division win, the last win by an African-American driver before Wallace's win in 2021.

1971: Wendell Scott's Full-Time Cup Ride

In 1971, Wendell Scott had his full-time Cup ride, marking the last time an African-American driver had a full-time ride before Wallace in 2018.

1987: Busch North Series Founding

In 1987, the Busch North Series was founded, later becoming known as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. In 2010, Wallace became the youngest driver to win in the series history.

October 8, 1993: Bubba Wallace Born

On October 8, 1993, William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. was born. He would later become an American professional stock car racing driver.

Others born on this day/year

1994: Jimmy Spencer's win with McDonald's

In 1994, Jimmy Spencer had a win with a McDonald's-sponsored car, the last win before Wallace's in 2021.

2005: Won 35 Bandolero Series Races

In 2005, Bubba Wallace won 35 of the 48 Bandolero Series races held that year, marking a significant achievement early in his racing career.

2006: Bill Lester's last race in Cup Series

In 2006, Bill Lester last raced in the Cup Series, marking the last appearance of an African-American driver in the series before Wallace's debut in 2017.

2008: Youngest Winner at Franklin County Speedway

In 2008, Bubba Wallace became the youngest driver to ever win at Franklin County Speedway in Virginia, adding another milestone to his early racing achievements.

2010: Competed in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

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 being 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.

2011: Kyle Busch-Hornaday Incident

In 2011, Kyle Busch deliberately wrecked Hornaday at Texas Motor Speedway, referenced due to similarities with the 2013 Wallace-Hornaday incident. This did not involve Wallace directly.

2011: Three Wins and Second in Points

In the 2011 season, Wallace achieved three wins at Richmond International Raceway, Columbus Motor Speedway, and Dover International Speedway. He finished second in points to Max Gresham.

2012: Won K&N East Event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway

In 2012, Wallace raced for Joe Gibbs Racing, winning the second K&N East event of the year at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, which marked his first win with JGR.

February 2013: Full Season in Camping World Truck Series

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.

October 26, 2013: First African-American Driver to Win Since 1963

On October 26, 2013, Wallace became the first African-American driver to win in one of NASCAR's national series since 1963, winning the Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

December 8, 2014: Left Joe Gibbs Racing

On December 8, 2014, Wallace announced he had been granted his request to leave Joe Gibbs Racing after the team struggled to find sponsorship.

December 18, 2014: Signed with Roush Fenway Racing

On December 18, 2014, RFR officially announced that they had signed Wallace to compete full-time in the No. 6 Ford Mustang in 2015.

2014: Full-Time Return to Camping World Truck Series

In 2014, Wallace returned to the Camping World Truck Series full-time in the No. 54. He won the Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park and the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway, finishing third in points.

2014: Return to Nationwide Series

In 2014, Wallace returned to the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. In May, he started at Talladega Superspeedway and finished 34th. In July, he ran at Daytona with Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign sponsoring, finishing 7th.

January 28, 2015: Drove the No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang

On January 28, 2015, at NASCAR Media Day, it was announced that Wallace would drive the No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang.

2015: Initial Steps Regarding the Confederate Flag

In 2015, after photographs emerged of the Charleston church shooter with the Confederate flag, NASCAR began asking fans not to display the flag at its races.

June 5, 2017: Drove No. 43 Ford in Cup Series

On June 5, 2017, Richard Petty Motorsports announced plans for Wallace to drive the team's No. 43 Ford in the Cup Series, replacing the injured Aric Almirola. This made Wallace the first African-American to race in the Cup Series since Bill Lester in 2006.

October 25, 2017: Introduced as Driver of No. 43

On October 25, 2017, Wallace was officially introduced as the new driver of the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, marking his full-time Cup ride since Wendell Scott in 1971.

2017: Voice Acting in Cars 3

In 2017, Bubba Wallace voiced the character Bubba Wheelhouse in the Pixar film Cars 3.

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October 2018: Named in Ebony Magazine's Power 100

In October 2018, Wallace was named in Ebony magazine's Power 100 list, joining notable figures such as Stephen Curry and Barack Obama.

2018: Full-Time Cup Ride

In 2018, Wallace began his full-time Cup ride with Richard Petty Motorsports, becoming the first African-American driver to have a full-time Cup ride since Wendell Scott in 1971.

2018: Returned to K&N East at Watkins Glen

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 later that weekend.

2018: Equaled Best Cup Series Result

In 2018, prior to his Talladega win in 2021, Wallace's best Cup Series result was at the Daytona 500.

2018: Behind the Wall: Bubba Wallace

Leading up to the 2018 Daytona 500, Bubba Wallace starred in the Facebook Watch series Behind the Wall: Bubba Wallace.

July 23, 2019: Richard Petty Autograph

On July 23, 2019, Bubba Wallace posted photos of Richard Petty autographing his left forearm and vowed to get it tattooed if the photos were retweeted 43,000 times.

October 5, 2019: Apologized for Roval Incident

On October 5, 2019, Wallace apologized for splashing Jeff Gordon, Dr. Angela Fiege, and Jeff Andrews during the Charlotte Roval incident, but stated that he does not regret what he did to Bowman.

November 9, 2019: Fined and Docked Points for Manipulating Competition

On November 9, 2019, Wallace was fined $50,000 and docked 50 points for intentionally manipulating competition at Texas, finishing 28th in the final points standings.

2019: Wallace Reveals Depression

In 2019, Bubba Wallace revealed that he has dealt with depression for most of his racing career, bringing awareness to the issue.

2019: Finished Fifth in All-Star Race

In 2019, Wallace won the second stage of the Monster Energy Open and finished fifth in the All-Star Race. He also spun Kyle Busch off the track at Watkins Glen.

2019: Talladega Race 2019

The alleged noose was a pull-down rope with a loop, in the style of a hangman's knot, that was located on an overhead door, and had been in the garage since the fall Talladega race in 2019.

May 2020: Involvement in Black Lives Matter

In May 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Bubba Wallace became a prominent figure in stock car racing's involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement.

June 8, 2020: Call to Ban Confederate Flag

On June 8, 2020, Bubba Wallace called on NASCAR to prohibit displays of the Confederate battle flag at races.

June 10, 2020: NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag

On June 10, 2020, NASCAR officially banned the display of the Confederate flag at its events.

June 21, 2020: Noose Incident at Talladega

On June 21, 2020, a member of Bubba Wallace's team reported to NASCAR that a noose had been placed in Wallace's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR condemned the act and consulted with law enforcement. Wallace expressed sadness but praised the community's support.

June 25, 2020: NASCAR Releases Photo of Noose

On June 25, 2020, NASCAR released a photo of the noose taken by security. Phelps explained that NASCAR inspected every garage and found 11 with knotted pull-down ropes, but only Wallace's was tied into a noose. NASCAR announced sensitivity training for personnel and affirmed that Bubba Wallace was not involved.

July 6, 2020: Trump's Tweet and Support for Wallace

On July 6, 2020, President Donald Trump tweeted that Bubba Wallace should apologize for the investigation into the noose incident, branding it a hoax. Trump also said that NASCAR's Confederate flag ban caused low ratings. Fox Sports refuted the ratings claim, and figures like Jimmie Johnson and LeBron James supported Wallace.

September 10, 2020: Announced Departure from RPM

On September 10, 2020, Wallace announced he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the 2020 season, finishing 22nd in the points standings.

September 21, 2020: Joined 23XI Racing

On September 21, 2020, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin created 23XI Racing, with Wallace as the first driver in the No. 23.

2020: Christian Faith and All-Star Race Incident

In 2020, Bubba Wallace clarified that his criticism of Michael McDowell after an incident at the All-Star Race was not an attack on McDowell's Christian faith. Wallace identified as Christian and the bumper from the incident was auctioned to raise money for the Christian non-profit organization Motor Racing Outreach.

2020: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500

In 2020, Bubba Wallace drove a special paint scheme car to honor Black Lives Matter at the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway. The car featured interlocking black and white hands, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and the phrase "Compassion, Love, Understanding". Wallace finished 11th in the race.

2020: Awards and Foundation

In 2020, Bubba Wallace founded and runs the Live to be Different Foundation. He also received the National Motorsports Press Association's Pocono Spirit Award and the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award.

2020: Reunited with Jerry Baxter

In 2020, Wallace reunited with crew chief Jerry Baxter, and finished sixth in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas. When the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was 18th in points.

2020: Documented Season

The Netflix docu-series Race: Bubba Wallace followed Wallace's career during the 2020 season.

March 2021: Joined Spencer Davis Motorsports

In March 2021, Wallace joined Spencer Davis Motorsports to drive their No. 11 in the Pinty's Dirt Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 11th in the race.

July 30, 2021: Engagement to Amanda Carter

On July 30, 2021, Bubba Wallace got engaged to Amanda Carter.

October 4, 2021: First Cup Win at Talladega

On October 4, 2021, Wallace earned his first career Cup win at Talladega after the race was shortened due to rain, becoming the first African-American driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963. It was also the first win for a McDonald's-sponsored car since 1994.

2021: Crew Chief Since 2021

Bootie Barker had been the 23 team's crew chief since 2021.

2021: Motley Crew Music Video

In 2021, Bubba Wallace and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin appeared in the music video for Post Malone's song "Motley Crew".

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2021: Talladega Win

In 2021, Bubba Wallace had his first win at Talladega.

2021: Pro Bowl Participation

In 2021, Bubba Wallace participated virtually in the 2021 Pro Bowl, which was hosted on Madden NFL 21 after the live event's cancellation.

2021: Documented Season

The Netflix docu-series Race: Bubba Wallace followed Wallace's career during the 2021 season.

March 29, 2022: Bootie Barker Suspended

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.

August 31, 2022: Switched Rides at 23XI

On August 31, 2022, Bubba Wallace and crew chief Barker switched rides at 23XI for the remainder of the season, moving to the No. 45 car.

2022: Race: Bubba Wallace Docu-series

In 2022, Bubba Wallace was the subject of the Netflix docu-series Race: Bubba Wallace. The six-episode series followed Wallace's career during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, including his off-track life and activism.

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December 31, 2022: Marriage to Amanda Carter

On December 31, 2022, Bubba Wallace married Amanda Carter.

2023: 2023 NASCAR Season

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 achieving 5 top 5 finishes and 10 top 10 finishes, 2023 was Wallace's first winless season since his win at Talladega in 2021. He advanced to the Round of 12 but was later eliminated at the Charlotte Roval race.

2024: 2024 NASCAR Season

In 2024, Bubba Wallace achieved two fifth-place finishes early in the season but struggled later on, facing fines and point deductions for race manipulation at Martinsville. Despite some top 10 finishes, he failed to make the playoffs and finished the 2024 NASCAR season in 18th place overall. His crew chief, Bootie Barker, would be replaced by Charles Denike in 2025.