NASCAR star Bubba Wallace talks changing beliefs, social media negativity
NASCAR star Bubba Wallace talks to Fox News Digital about why he doesn't have time to deal with the negativity that comes along with social media.
EXCLUSIVE: NASCAR star Bubba Wallace was once accused of bringing politics into NASCAR. But in this year's election, he won't go near it.
In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the George Floyd riots, Wallace made multiple posts on X (then known as Twitter) condemning former President Donald Trump for promoting hate. Trump himself attacked Wallace on social media over the driver calling for a ban on confederate flags at races, and alleged that an investigation into noose being found in his garage was a "hoax." An FBI investigation found that the noose had been in the garage stall since October 2019, and no crime had been committed.
Later that year, Wallace alleged that he'd been told he was "bringing politics into NASCAR," in response to his condemnation for Trump. But Wallace hasn't made any such posts at all regarding the 2024 election, or any political subject of such a matter via public statements.
"Investing my time into that seems like a waste of time," Wallace told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "I was definitely more vocal then because our sport was in desperate need of change."
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Bubba Wallace looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 20, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Now in 2024, Wallace only has one message to send to his fans about the beliefs he wants to share with them.
"Go to McDonald's," Wallace said when asked by Fox News Digital what beliefs he would like to express to his fans in this election year. "Buy a meal, get the 10-piece chicken nugget, fries, Dr. Pepper and then round up that money, all of that money goes to [Ronald McDonald House Charities]."
For Wallace, the sudden shift in priorities comes after four years as an ascendant star in NASCAR. But also milestone moments for him in building a family. In 2021 he joined Michael Jordan's NASCAR team, serving as the first driver in the car to sport Jordan's famous No. 23. In 2022, Wallace tied his own record as the highest-finishing Black driver in the Dayton 500.
In that time, he also got engaged and married to his wife, Amanda Carter. And they just had their first child, a son named Becks Hayden Wallace on Sept. 29.
He admitted his priorities have changed, and credited becoming a father for it. He also claims that he is now looking beyond "which side" someone is on.
"My beliefs stand strong in just being good humans to other people is the best way to go about life. No matter what side you're on, no matter what color you are, at the end of the day we're in this world together and we have to make it work together. And I think I've said that from day one and that hasn't changed and nor will it change."
Wallace has abandoned the act of making his political beliefs known on social media. He even went as far as to delete all social media apps on his phone altogether. His feed on X nowadays is just a curated mix of racing photos, promotional posts and photos of family.
One of the biggest reasons Wallace abandoned that habit from 2020 is because of culture shifts in social media during that time. Wallace said there is overwhelming "negativity" on the platforms he would use to get any messages of his beliefs out.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald's Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
"Social media nowadays is just a way for people to hide behind a screen and voice their opinions on things they don't really know about," Wallace said.
The main social media platform that Wallace used during his 2020 criticisms against Trump was Twitter. In the four years since then, the platform has undergone a transformation under the ownership of tech mogul Elon Musk. Musk's purchasing of the platform in October 2022 brought about sweeping staff turnover, a complete restructuring of how the platform verifies accounts, and the rebrand to X, among other changes. Some have called the sweeping changes a renaissance for free speech. But others have criticized Musk and the changes, including Democrat lawmakers.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), requesting an investigation into election-related misinformation being published by the Grok AI chatbot on X. California governor Gavin Newsome signed the country’s toughest law banning digitally altered political "deepfakes" on Sept. 17, after Musk for shared an AI-generated parody video mocking Kamala Harris' candidacy for president.
Meanwhile, another social media platform has had an active hand in pushing leftist misinformation since 2020 as well. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in August that senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to "censor" some COVID-19 content during the pandemic and vowed that the social media giant would push back if it faced such demands again.
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Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald's Toyota, and Justin Fields, quarterback of the Chicago Bears pose for photos at the drivers meeting at the Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room at the Art Institute of Chicago prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 on July 02, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
And as a result, Wallace doesn't believe the platforms are worth his time anymore, especially now that he's a dad.
"It's just too much negativity that it's going to take years and years and years to get rid of, and we don't have time for that," Wallace said of the current culture of social media. "Now, with being a dad and trying to be the best that I can be here for my race team and my team here, that's where I'm investing my energy so that's all you can really ask for."
For Wallace, the impact of becoming a father has been a transformative experience for him in such a short amount of time. Since his son was born, Wallace has two-top ten finishes in the three races that he's competed in. He's also looking at life through a lense he wasn't looking through before.
"You have your kid at home and a full family to provide for now, so it's crazy to go through all that," Wallace said.
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