Michael Jordan & Bubba Wallace Make Black History After NASCAR Race Win
Michael Jordan & Driver Bubba Wallace Make Black History After Winning NASCAR Race, Twitter Salutes
Source: Sean Gardner/23XI Racing / Getty
Just a week after Lewis Hamilton made history as the first racer to win 100 races, Bubba Wallace has some news of his own.
Monday, Wallace became just the second Black driver to win NASCAR’s Cup Series race, the association’s top series.
“Talladega, we’re winners,” Wallace said in a celebratory video on Twitter while still at the Superspeedway. “What a perfect weekend, or weekday, I should say. I just knew something about it. I appreciate all you fans for sticking on to Monday. All the passionate fans that are up there, I can hear the Bubba chants. With everything going on here in Talladega, you guys are what keeps me going, and it means a lot. ”
Wallace was asked what it’s like to be the second Black person to win a Cup series since 1963 when NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Wendell Scott took home the hardware.
“I never think about those things, and when you, when you say it like that, honestly, it brings a lot of emotion, a lot of joy, to my family, fans, friends. It’s pretty damn cool.”
Wallace wasn’t the only winner of the day; since this is his first year racing for the 23XI team, it also marks the first win as a team owner for NBA legend Michael Jordan who was pumped after Wallace’s win.
“I’m so happy for Bubba and our entire 23XI Racing team,” Jordan said in a statement. “This is a huge milestone and a historic win for us. From the day we signed him, I knew Bubba had the talent to win, and Denny and I could not be more proud of him. Let’s go!”
Jordan is also the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since 1973, with the rest owned by racer Denny Hamlin.
Check out how Twitter celebrated the monumental moment:
