Wallace, William Darrell 'Bubba' Jr.
1993- · Contribution: 2013-
NASCAR driver
First African American to become a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver since Wendell Scott, already profiled in this collection; ended a 58-year drought to become the second Black driver ever to win a Cup Series race, in 2021 at Talladega, the same week the FBI investigated a noose found in his garage stall
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1993, Mobile, Alabama
- Active since
- 2013
- Category
- Sports & Athletics
- Best known for
- First full-time Black NASCAR Cup Series driver in the modern era
Impact on the world
Wallace broke through in a sport with deep barriers to Black participation, winning at its top level and using his platform to push NASCAR toward change.
Sources
- NASCAR official driver page
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Lester, William Alexander III
1961-
Left a 15-year engineering career at Hewlett-Packard at age 40 to become a full-time professional NASCAR driver; became the second Black driver in NASCAR history to win a pole position, exactly forty years after Wendell Scott, already profiled in this collection, became the first
Taylor, Marshall 'Major'
1878-1932
First African American to win a world championship in cycling, and the first in any sport
O'Ree, Willie
1935-
First Black player in National Hockey League history
Williams, Doug
1955-
First Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, and to be named Super Bowl MVP