Bubba Wallace Jr. talks about expectations driving for Michael Jordan's NASCAR team
Being the only black driver on the current NASCAR grid, Bubba Wallace Jr. knows very well the list of expectations people have from him. Racing for basketball legend Michael Jordan’s team, only adds to that list.
In a short video by Fox, the 23XI Racing driver spoke about the pressure and expectations he has had to take care of while racing with the team. The video was subsequently tweeted by motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass.
Watch the video here:
Bubba Wallace describes the pressure and expectations at 23XI Racing … and the awesome phone call from Michael Jordan after the Talladega win last year. https://t.co/67kHoYPihx
Describing the thoughts running in the team and how a race win affected them, Bubba Wallace Jr. said:
“You know it was like… What are we gonna do, last year, what are our expectations, and figuring all that stuff out. And after we got that win in Talladega, that obviously, you know, took away a lot of the pressure and a lot of the growing pains. It just made everything easier.”
On being asked if he talked to Jordan after the win at Talladega, the driver said:
“Yeah, I was able to talk to him on the phone, a little bit after the race. He was pumped up… obviously the excitement from everybody involved… That was a special phone call! … He was just proud of me and the team, and what we were able to do.”
Bubba Wallace Jr. has been a driver for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing ever since its inception prior to the 2021 season, driving the #23 Toyota Camry.
Uhhhhh, we're lovin' it 🤩🍔
@BubbaWallace | @23XIRacing https://t.co/ho8kfPamyb
Bubba Wallace Jr. subject of new Netflix documentary
Similar to his team owner Michael Jordan, Bubba Wallace Jr.’s career has also now been documented for television. Streaming giant Netflix recently produced RACE: Bubba Wallace, a six-episode series on the 28-year-old driver that aims to explore various facets of his life, especially after a supposed hate crime against him in 2020.
There is only 1 driver from an African American background at the top level of our sport..I am the 1. You're not gonna stop hearing about "the black driver" for years. Embrace it, accept it and enjoy the journey..
Director and executive producer Erik Parker, of L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later fame, reasoned the choice of Wallace Jr. for the show, saying:
“The goal was to kind of capture history in the making at a time when history was being made and show what it took for someone like Bubba to speak out in a sport like NASCAR. We were looking at someone in real time who was changing the trajectory of a sport in America.”
RACE: Bubba Wallace is all set to air on Netflix on February 22.