“This was badass” - Bubba Wallace pens down heartwarming exchange with a young fan at Homestead
Bubba Wallace shared an X post where he had an adorable interaction with a young fan. Wallace recently qualified in 9th for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Bubba Wallace recorded a lap time of 32.211 seconds with an average speed of 167.645 mph after a strong showing in practice, where he was the fastest overall with a speed of 166.955 mph. The qualifying was topped by Alex Bowman who earned the pole with a lap time of 31.982 seconds. The top 3 also included Josh Berry (the winner of the race at Las Vegas), and Noah Gragson.
The 23XI Racing driver was impressed by a young fan who took out a camera to take a picture of him. Looking at this, Bubba took a selfie with the young fan and shared it on X. He penned down:
"After qualifying I was heading back to my hauler..a father approached me and ask if his daughter could get a pic, I said no problem.. waited for her to walk over but no. She pulls up her camera and snaps a photo OF me… this was badass!! So I had to get a pic with her!"
The driver of the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, has ranked 12th in the standings with 125 points. Wallace has yet to secure a win in the season with his best finish being in at 9th on the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite a challenging start, the 18th-place finisher of the 2024 season would be looking to improve upon his career stats this season, considering the change of the crew chief in Charles Denike.
When Bubba Wallace acknowledged his impact on NASCAR
Bubba Wallace reflected on his role in a 2018 interview as the only full-time Black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. He acknowledged the impact of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program in providing opportunities for him and other drivers like Daniel Suarez.
"I'm the only one that’s here. NASCAR is, I wouldn’t say desperate, but they're looking for a new face. They're getting a new face behind the wheel, but it’s the same face in the stands. We have a great fan base, and they want to continue to grow that. They're not trying to change that fan base. They want to just bring a bigger impact to the outsiders that are looking in. Because it is a fun sport," Bubba Wallace said (via Andscape).
Bubba Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, has become a prominent figure in the fight against racism within the sport. His activism gained national attention in June 2020 when a noose was discovered in his garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway, prompting widespread condemnation and solidarity from fellow drivers.