Bubba Wallace Leaving NASCAR

Photo Zach Catanzareti Photo • CC BY 2.0

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace announced on social media Thursday that he will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after the 2020 season.

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— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) September 10, 2020

“This was not an easy decision as I have nothing but the utmost respect for Richard Petty and his family, but I believe it’s time for someone else to take over the reins of the No. 43. Thank you to the King and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to start my Cup Series career. I’ve grown so much as a driver and as a person since joining them. We’ve got nine more races together, and I hope we can finish the 2020 season on a high note.” Wallace said on Twitter.

Wallace in 2013 became the second Black driver to win a national series NASCAR race when he won the Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway. He is the only African-American driver competing at the top level of NASCAR and has been a leading voice for the sport with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

He was active in pushing for racial equality in NASCAR. He was instrumental in NASCAR implementing its blanket ban of the Confederate flag at all of its events earlier in the year.

Wallace has recently signed several prominent sponsorship deals including Beats by Dre, Columbia Sportswear, DoorDash and Cash App.

The team said in a statement, “We look forward to the next chapter in the making for the iconic No. 43 team. We will announce our new driver in the future.”

What Wallace plans are for the 2021 season remains unclear but we are here for it.