Bubba Wallace is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after NASCAR racers on the circuit despite not winning a race since 2017.
Still, NASCAR’s only black full-time driver has been racking up the sponsors. This week Wallace announced the addition of Door Dash in the same week he started working with Columbia Sportswear Co. Columbia’s name will appear on Wallace’s car at Dover later this month.
Door Dash is set to sponsor Wallace’s No. 43 Chevy for Richard Petty Motorsports starting Sunday on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. Door Dash will sponsor the driver at six more races this year, including Dover, Richmond, Las Vegas, Texas, Martinsville, and Phoenix, according to the New York Post.
“One of the things I’ve been praying for, for a really long time,” Wallace said on the Today show on Friday.
Along with the racing sponsors, Wallace also signed a personal deal with headphones maker, Beats by Dre, and Cash App.
“I’m just a walking ambassador right now, and I love it,” Wallace exclaimed. “I’m very thankful for all these companies and organizations to want to be part of this journey.”
Wallace, of course, shot to national attention more for his social activism than for his driving. Earlier this year he launched a campaign to make NASCAR enact a ban on fans flying the Confederate flag and then accused the league, its drivers and crew, and the fans of “racism” when he falsely reported that a “noose” had been left in his trackside garage. An FBI investigation into the supposed noose quickly found that it was just a loop handle on a garage door rope and no racial animus was intended.
Wallace also brought protests during the national anthem and accolades to Black Lives Matter to NASCAR.
Wallace burst on the scene at age 16, winning several races on smaller circuits before advancing to wins in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the K&N Pro Series East, all by the time he reached 20 years of age. He gained notice as one of NASCAR’s youngest drivers and soon won a spot in NASCAR’s diversity program in 2010. But the winner’s flag has eluded him since his last win at the 2017 Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
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