When Bubba Wallace took charge in NASCAR’s efforts to be more inclusive and fight for racial justice in 2020 by calling for the sport to ban the Confederate flag, everything changed. The only Black full-time NASCAR driver made headlines around the country and globe, NASCAR officials followed his lead and banned the flag and Wallace’s haters are louder than ever after he spoke out.
Wallace’s life, experiences in that moment and the aftermath and his NASCAR career — including his first season driving for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team — are detailed in Netflix’s new docuseries, RACE: Bubba Wallace, which is set to premiere Feb. 22.
“I have a responsibility; it’s automatic that I have a responsibility,” Wallace says in the trailer about fighting inequality and injustice. “True colors are gonna come out.
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Over the course of six-episodes Wallace reckons with who he is on and off the track, finding himself as both a driver and an activist. He confronts his mental health issues and permanently alters the notoriously white and conservative sport of racing by inspiring the ban on the Confederate flag. While dealing with the stress of competition and the public fallout both at the track and on social media from his stand, Wallace is supported in his efforts by his family and members of the racing community.
Directed by Erik Parker (L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later, Nas: Time Is Illmatic), it’s a six-episodes series, and each episode is 45 minutes long. Here’s the trailer, which dropped Thursday:
It's almost here. I put a lot on the line with this @netflix project. Like I've said from day one, what you see is what you get. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and couldn't be any happier with how #RACEBubbaWallace turned out. https://t.co/p8TcUOB5eq
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) January 27, 2022
In a statement via Netflix, Wallace said:
“This is unlike any project I’ve ever participated in; it’s a raw, emotional and completely transparent account of the events that took place throughout the 2020 and 2021 NASCAR seasons. With me, what you see is what you get. You’ll witness the peaks and valleys of the sport and see how one’s actions off of the race track are just as important as the ones on it. One of the most compelling pieces of the series is the additional insight the viewers will gain by hearing from my peers, family and some of my partners that played a role in this monumental journey. Join me as we break down barriers, confront controversy, and welcome a new fan base to the sport of NASCAR.”
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season begins Feb. 20 with the Daytona 500.
NASCAR vowed to be more inclusive, but is its progress moving fast enough?
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