Darrell Wallace Jr. in recent weeks has become one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers.
However, as the only African American driver on the sport’s top level, as well as the driver at the center of NASCAR’s racism conversation, Wallace still has many haters.
That was evident Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway, according to The Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer. Wallace apparently was booed as he was introduced before NASCAR’s All-Star Open — Bristol allowed roughly 20,000 fans to enter the facility Wednesday event — and was cheered as he wrecked out of the qualifying event.
Here’s Fryer’s account:
Bubba Wallace was also booed when he was introduced, and many cheered when he crashed. NASCAR still has a lot of work to do to back up its position. The group Justice 4 Diversity held signs along Speedway Blvd. after the race.
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) July 16, 2020
As Fryer noted, NASCAR has a lot of work to do to if it truly wants to eradicate (or, more realistically, significantly diminish) racism from the sport. It is not a problem that will be solved overnight.
Furthermore, it’s clear that Wallace will have to endure inconsistent treatment from fans for the foreseeable future.
