Bubba Wallace facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Bubba Wallace

Wallace at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024

Born

William Darrell Wallace Jr.
October 8, 1993 (age 31)
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.

Achievements

Highest finishing African-American in the Daytona 500 (2nd, 2018 and 2022)
2017 U.S. Short Track Nationals Super Late Model 100 Winner (inaugural race)
First African-American to win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Martinsville, 2014)

Awards

2010 K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year
2008 UARA-Stars Late Model Series Rookie of the Year

NASCAR Cup Series career

255 races run over 8 years

Car no., team

No. 23 (23XI Racing)

2024 position

18th

Best finish

10th (2023)

First race

2017 Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (Pocono)

Last race

2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix)

First win

2021 YellaWood 500 (Talladega)

Last win

2022 Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
2	46	3

NASCAR Xfinity Series career

88 races run over 7 years

2022 position

105th

Best finish

7th (2015)

First race

2012 Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 (Iowa)

Last race

2022 Pennzoil 150 (Indianapolis G.P.)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
0	36	2

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career

51 races run over 7 years

2023 position

94th

Best finish

3rd (2014)

First race

2013 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona)

Last race

2023 Tyson 250 (North Wilkesboro)

First win

2013 Kroger 200 (Martinsville)

Last win

2017 LTi Printing 200 (Michigan)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
6	30	3

Statistics current as of November 10, 2024.

William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. (born October 8, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing.

Bubba Wallace was part of Toyota's program to help young drivers. He raced part-time in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also raced full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Later, he joined Ford's driver program and raced full-time in the Xfinity Series for Roush Fenway Racing.

After filling in for an injured driver in some Cup Series races, Wallace became a full-time driver for Richard Petty Motorsports. He was the first full-time African American driver in NASCAR's top series since 1971.

Bubba Wallace: Racing Star
Images for kids
See also

Bubba Wallace: Racing Star

Early Days in Racing

Bubba Wallace started racing at age nine. He competed in Bandolero and Legends car series. He also raced in local late model events. In 2005, he won 35 out of 48 Bandolero Series races. In 2008, he became the youngest driver to win at Franklin County Speedway in Virginia.

Climbing the Ranks

NASCAR K&N Pro Series

Wallace with a U.S. Army member, his sponsor in 2011.

In 2010, Wallace joined the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. This is a regional series for developing drivers. He raced for Rev Racing as part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. He also became a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Wallace won his first race in the series at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. He was the youngest driver ever to win there. He also won at Lee USA Speedway that year. He finished third in points and won the Rookie of the Year award. He was the first African American to win this award in a NASCAR series. In 2011, Wallace won three more races and finished second in points.

Truck Series Success

Wallace on pit road at Rockingham in 2013.

In 2013, Wallace raced full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. On October 26, 2013, he made history. He won the 2013 Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. This made him the first African-American driver to win in one of NASCAR's national series since Wendell Scott in 1963. Wallace finished 8th in points in his first Truck Series season.

In 2014, Wallace continued in the Truck Series. He won the Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park. He also won the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway. He won his second straight race at Martinsville, driving the No. 34 truck to honor Wendell Scott. Wallace won his final race with Kyle Busch Motorsports at Homestead Miami Speedway. His four wins and strong finishes led him to finish third in the points standings.

In 2017, Wallace returned to the Truck Series for one race at Michigan. He won the race, holding off other top drivers.

Xfinity Series Journey

Wallace (right) with the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award in 2015.

Wallace made his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2012. He finished 9th in his first race at Iowa Speedway. In 2015, he joined Roush Fenway Racing to race full-time in the Xfinity Series. He earned 14 top-ten finishes and ended the season 7th in points.

In 2016, Wallace continued to race well. He finished 6th at Daytona and earned his best career finish of 2nd at Dover International Speedway. He made it to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Series playoffs. In 2017, his Xfinity team had to stop racing due to sponsorship issues.

Making History in NASCAR Cup Series

Cup Series Debut

Wallace driving at his Cup Series debut race in Pocono in 2017.

In June 2017, Bubba Wallace got a chance to race in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drove the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports because the regular driver was injured. This made Wallace the first African-American to race in the Cup Series since 2006. He finished 26th in his first race at Pocono Raceway.

First Full-Time Season

In 2018, Wallace became a full-time driver for Richard Petty Motorsports. He was the first African-American driver to have a full-time Cup ride since Wendell Scott in 1971. In the 2018 Daytona 500, he finished second. This was the highest finish ever for a full-time rookie driver in that race. He finished 28th in the final points standings that year.

Building Experience

In 2019, Wallace showed his skill at the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race. He won a stage and finished fifth in the main race. He also had one of his best runs at the 2019 Brickyard 400, finishing third. He continued to improve his finishes throughout the season.

In 2020, Wallace started the season strong with a sixth-place finish at Las Vegas. He earned more top-ten finishes at Bristol, Indianapolis, and Michigan. He finished fifth at Daytona. At the end of 2020, Wallace announced he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports. He finished 22nd in the points standings.

First Cup Wins

Wallace (No. 23) racing alongside Austin Dillon (No. 3) in 2021.

In September 2020, basketball legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin announced they were starting a new team called 23XI Racing. Bubba Wallace was chosen as their first driver for the No. 23 car.

On October 4, 2021, Wallace earned his first career Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway. The race was shortened due to rain, but Wallace was in the lead when it ended. This was a historic win, as he was the first African-American driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963.

In 2022, Wallace continued with 23XI Racing. He finished second in the 2022 Daytona 500 by a very close margin. On September 11, Wallace scored his second Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway. He led the final 67 laps to take the victory. Later that year, he faced a one-race suspension for an incident on the track at Las Vegas. He finished the 2022 season 19th in the standings.

Making the Playoffs

Wallace's No. 23 car at Dover Motor Speedway in 2023.

In 2023, Bubba Wallace had a strong season. He improved his finishes and made the playoffs for the first time in his career. He had five top-five finishes and ten top-ten finishes. He advanced to the Round of 12 in the playoffs before being eliminated. He finished the season in 10th place overall, his best career finish.

2024 Season and Changes

Bubba Wallace started 2024 with two fifth-place finishes. He continued to earn top-ten finishes at tracks like Texas, Darlington, Nashville, Pocono, Indianapolis, Richmond, Bristol, Talladega, and the Charlotte Roval. At the Chicago Street Race, Wallace was involved in an incident with another driver and faced a fine. Despite scoring good finishes, Wallace did not make the playoffs in 2024. He finished the 2024 NASCAR season in 18th place overall, his second-best career finish. After the season, his crew chief, Bootie Barker, moved to a different role within the team, and Charles Denike was announced as Wallace's new crew chief for 2025.

Standing Up for Change

Noose Investigation

On June 21, 2020, a member of Wallace's team found a pull-down rope tied like a noose in Wallace's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR leaders told Wallace about it, and the organization called it a "heinous" act. NASCAR worked with law enforcement to investigate.

The next day, before the race, other drivers and their teams showed their support for Wallace. They pushed his car to the front of pit road together. The FBI investigated and found that the rope had been in the garage since 2019 and was not specifically aimed at Wallace. NASCAR later confirmed that only Wallace's garage had a rope tied in that way. NASCAR also announced that all its staff would receive training on sensitivity and unconscious bias.

Black Lives Matter and the Confederate Flag

In May 2020, Bubba Wallace began speaking out about fairness and equality. He became an important voice in stock car racing for the Black Lives Matter movement. On June 8, 2020, he asked NASCAR to ban the display of the Confederate battle flag at races. NASCAR had already asked fans not to display the flag, but many still did. On June 10, 2020, NASCAR officially banned the flag from all its events.

For a race at Martinsville Speedway, Wallace's car had a special paint scheme to honor Black Lives Matter. The car showed black and white hands linked together. It also had the words "#BlackLivesMatter" and "Compassion, Love, Understanding." The team owner, Richard Petty, added a peace symbol with hands of all colors. Wallace finished 11th in that race.

Life Off the Track

Bubba Wallace was born in Mobile, Alabama, and grew up in Concord, North Carolina. His mother is African American, and his father is white. His mother was a social worker and ran track in college.

Wallace is very good friends with fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney. They met when they were young, racing Bandoleros.

In 2019, Wallace shared that he has dealt with depression during his racing career. He was surprised by how many people thanked him for talking about it. He realized it was a widespread problem.

Wallace married Amanda Carter on December 31, 2022. They have a son together. Wallace is a Christian. He has supported Christian non-profit organizations through his racing.

Images for kids

Wallace (No. 18) starting from the pole at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in 2012. Starting alongside him is the car he drove the prior year, the Rev Racing No. 6, now driven by Kyle Larson.
Wallace's No. 6 at Road America in 2015.
Wallace's No. 6 at Road America in 2016.
Wallace's No. 6 at Pocono in 2017.
Wallace's No. 43 at Sonoma Raceway in 2018.
Wallace's No. 43 during the race at Dover in October 2019.
Wallace after climbing out of his No. 43 car following his crash with Michael McDowell in the All-Star Open.
Wallace's No. 23 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2022.
Wallace substituting for Austin Wayne Self in the AM Racing No. 22 at Martinsville in March 2019.
Wallace with U.S. President Donald Trump at the 2020 Daytona 500.