Bubba Wallace Brings Black Lives Matter Protest to NASCAR Paint Scheme, Moves to Ban Confederate Flags

Tonight, NASCAR will be racing under the lights. It seems like when the lights come on, things are always a bit more intense. For Bubba Wallace, though, this is more than just another race. Instead, he has chosen to take his car and use it to promote a message of peace and prosperity.

For the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500, Bubba Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports have decided to roll out a Black Lives Matter paint scheme. Wallace tells us that the race was vacant as far as sponsors go. Therefore, the idea popped in his head to support a cause that he wholeheartedly believes in.

On a broadcast over on the Richard Petty Motorsports Facebook page, Wallace described his thinking, saying “Why not dive in straight to the root in putting #BlackLivesMatter on the car?”

He describes what the design means to him and speaks on behalf of the community. He also takes a moment to dissect the artwork with the designer. It seems like they really invested some thought and time into making the scheme come together perfectly. In addition, we get to hear some of Wallace’s other thoughts on the movement and what it means to him.

It doesn’t seem like this is where Wallace plans on stopping, either. In another move, Wallace seems to want to see Confederate flags banned from NASCAR events entirely. NPR says that Wallace hasn’t always been offended by the flag. However, he has more recently been making an effort to really educate himself on the history behind it.

In an interview with CNN, Wallace says “People feel uncomfortable with [the history], people talk about that — that’s the first thing they bring up.”

He would go on to say, “My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags. No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race.

So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”