Bubba Wallace had an eventful 2020 season as he was the voice to tackle racial injustice in the NASCAR industry. He was also in the midst of a misunderstanding regarding a noose.
Wallace may have got a lot of plaudits for his social activism in 2020 but he also received a lot of criticism and hate from people who didn’t align with his views.
Recently Wallace spoke to the PEOPLE about the year gone by and how he maintains mental clarity despite all the criticism. He said:
“It’s tough for sure. Sometimes you have your cloudy days. I’ve had them this year, when you just can’t seem to shake the funk and you’re like, ‘Maybe tomorrow will be another day, another opportunity,’ and then it happens. That’s why you never give up. You never know what’s in store for you the next day. That’s why you always keep pushing.”
Another incident that Wallace’s haters were very harsh to point out was the noose incident. It was first believed that a noose was kept in Wallace’s garage but later it was revealed that the noose was not a part of a hate crime directed against Wallace.
Speaking about the discrimination one can receive because of one’s race, Wallace wants people to not jump to the conclusion quickly.
“I’m pretty sure they don’t wanna hear it. They already got their minds made up about me so it’s hard to convince them otherwise, you know? But [I would say], ‘You just can’t judge a book by its cover.’ ”
“Get to know somebody before you make your assumption about them. It takes me five seconds, but at least I gave them five seconds before I made my assumption about you. Some people are going off of, ‘It looks like he did this,’ or ‘It looks like he said this.’ Well, how about you find out about who he is as an actual human being, you know? I think that’s what it is. Let’s all do our due diligence.”
It is a new beginning for Wallace in the 2021 season as he signed for a new Cup Series team 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.
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