NASCAR star Bubba Wallace is the subject of a new documentary set to premiere on Netflix on February 22nd. RACE: Bubba Wallace, a six-part docu-series, explores Wallace’s journey as a NASCAR driver and his battle with racism in the sport.
Directed by Erik Parker, the the documentary will explore the personal and professional tracks of race car driver Bubba Wallace's life. With exclusive access to Wallace during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, his first with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, the series traces his rise to the elite ranks of NASCAR as the only full-time Black driver and the turbulent aftermath that followed his decision to speak out about racial injustice. We see Wallace reckoning with who he is on and off the track, as both a driver and an activist. And, we witness confronting his mental health issues as well as driving change in the notoriously conservative white a sport by inspiring the ban on the Confederate flag. We join him as he breaks down barriers, confront controversy, and welcome a new fan base to the sport.
“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,” Wallace said in a statement. “With me, what you see is what you get,” he continued. “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.”
As EBONY previously reported, Wallace made history last October as the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup race in almost 60 years. With his victory at Talladega, Wallace became the first Black driver to win at the top level of the prominent stock car series since Wendell Scott in 1963.
