Bubba Wallaceis speaking candidly about his decision to publicly back theBlack Lives Mattermovement.
In a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE fromRace: Bubba Wallace, the professional race car driver appears with fiancéeAmanda Carterand opens up wearing a T-shirt in support of the anti-racism movement despite worries that it would affect his racing career.
At the start of the clip from Wallace’s upcomingNetflix docuseries, Carter speaks in a confessional about Wallace, 28, “wanting to do something” to support Black Lives Matter while at a race in Atlanta. Despite acknowledging the idea puts him in a “sticky situation, Wallace says, “But you know what? This is what needs to happen.”
After detailing that he ordered the Black Lives Matter attire online and received it the next day, the video transitions to show the Atlanta Motor Speedway in June 2020 — a month after the death ofGeorge Floydsparked protests across the U.S.
“He was so dead set on making a statement,” Carter continues in a voiceover before Wallace adds, “I was just gonna show up with that shirt on. I thought I was gonna lose my ride, to be honest with you.”
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NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace donned a shirt that echoed calls for justice following George Floyd’s death.Chris Graythen/Getty
At the time when Wallace wore the Black Lives Matter shirt during the pre-race ceremony in Atlanta, he later called on NASCAR to eliminate Confederate battle flags from all of its race tracks.
“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags,” Wallace toldCNNin 2020. “No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race.”
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Steve Helber/USA Today/Getty
NASCAR barred the use of the battle flag in “any official” capacity, but fans are not prohibited from displaying the symbol at their events, perCBS Sports.
Not long after wearing the BLM shirt, Wallaceattended the NASCAR Cup Series raceat Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, making him the first full-time black driver to race in that racein nearly 50 years. That day, he change his car’s normal paint scheme to one promoting the Black Lives Matter movement and racial equality.
RELATED VIDEO: Bubba Wallace Says Dealing with Racism as a Young Race Car Driver Motivated ‘Me to Do Better’
Last year, Netflix announced that a documentary series following Wallace was in production and would document him competing for hisnew NASCAR team.
“The series will take viewers behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season through the eyes of the only Black driver at the top level of the sport, and will explore Wallace, 23XI Racing, and NASCAR’s efforts to advocate for inclusion and equality in racing and beyond,” according to a press statement for the upcoming series.
“You know me…I like to keep things real and raw,” Wallace wrote on Twitter at the time of the exciting news. “Pumped to have @netflixcapture these moments to share with you guys.”
Race: Bubba Wallacebegins streaming Tuesday on Netflix.
source: people.com
