Despite being within a day’s drive of Charlotte and Darlington for most of my life, I never got into NASCAR. The confederate culture was always a big turn-off for me, and I never really had friends or family close to me who cared about it. There’s also a matter of upbringing: I fancied myself a white-collar type growing up and thought the task of making several consecutive left turns was below me.
But as I learned this week, I can’t hide who I am deep down. I’m no elitist, I like when fast car go vroom vroom.
Right now NASCAR has one Black driver: Mobile, AL native Bubba Wallace (a name which I am honestly surprised hasn’t been taken by a previous NASCAR driver). In a sport that has been friendly to the “heritage, not hate” crowd since its inception, his path has been a lonely one, and he’s battled depression throughout. He drew attention to the sport when he drove a Black Lives Matter-themed car and appealed to NASCAR to get the Confederate flag out of its events, which ultimately succeeded. Naturally, folks didn’t take this too well, and an unidentified person left a noose in his team’s garage as a threat.
After that, the response from other racers was honestly impressive. Nearly every other driver issued a statement of support and stood with him on the track at Talladega. I doubt they would have done the same if this incident occurred in, say, 2016, but the bar to clear was pretty low, and they deserve some credit where it’s due.
The PR people at NASCAR headquarters probably think a few statements is all that’s needed to prove they’re okay. But as many sportswriters like Bomani Jones have pointed out, they’ve got a long ass way to go. Even Richard Petty, the face of the sport who went out of his way to support Bubba after the noose incident, was on record three years ago calling for anthem protesters to be booted from the country. It’s all a mess, to put it lightly.
But what better encapsulation of the struggle in the South is there than the speedway? NASCAR appeals to the underlying desire for speed and chaos even the most repressed, WASPiest southerners have. Both have a foundation built on racism and desperately need change, and both are often scoffed at by wealthy liberals who don’t view it as worth saving. Bubba Wallace represents millions of Black people in the South who have had to deal with this bullshit since America was stolen from its Indigenous peoples. They’ve been murdered by police, enslaved by wardens, discriminated against by business tyrants and neglected by the state. As it was in the civil rights movement, the South is a critical place for liberation of Black people and all those oppressed. If Daytona, Bristol et al become places where folks wearing Black Lives Matter shirts can feel comfortable, then you’ll know momentum is going in the right direction.
As for the race on Sunday, Bubba was a contender the whole way through, but came up short in overtime after a wild finish.
Who cares? Just look at him after the race. Look at that crowd behind him.
NASCAR, like the South, is a chaotic, problematic mess that nevertheless has some real gems. Also like the South, its overdue to be reclaimed by a diverse proletariat from the racist bourgeoisie. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being a touchstone for cultural progress in the south and confederate jackals falling out of power. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it.
Either way, hooray for fast cars.
This week’s mutual aid plug is Free The 350 Bail Fund in Madison, WI, sent to me from a viewer. Remember: none of us are free if one of us is chained.