NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace threw a block party in Hyde Park on Wednesday evening, bringing together longtime and brand-new race fans.
Wallace drives the No. 23 Toyota Camry for Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and is the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top racing series. He said the block party is geared toward bringing in new fans, especially those who have never considered tuning in to a race.
“This is an incredible demographic to be a part of and tap into,” Wallace said. The block party “is for the people who are on the fence about NASCAR, or have been a closeted fan. This gives them a chance to come out and enjoy their time and get a sense of what NASCAR is about.”
The free event, now in its second year, is a national initiative launched by Wallace and NASCAR. The goal is to broaden the sport’s appeal to overlooked audiences. Previous block parties have been held in Birmingham, Alabama, and Richmond, Virginia.
Chicago-born rapper Lupe Fiasco also performed at the party at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Attendees watched Wallace’s pit crew change tires on a car and took the wheel on a NASCAR race simulator.
Hyde Park residents Monique Howard and Darrell McFatten are big NASCAR fans but they can’t make it to this weekend’s races. The block party was the next best thing.
“I can’t name five football players, I can’t name five basketball players. But I can name every single NASCAR driver,” Howard said. “I love watching NASCAR. The racing, the need for speed is so exciting.”
McFatten, who has been a NASCAR fan since he was a kid, introduced Howard to the sport. Race days on Sundays are an important ritual for the two. They’ve also traveled around the country to watch races.
“The speed is exciting, and it’s impressive to watch the drivers,” McFatten said. “I like understanding and learning about the mechanism of the cars.”
Adam Steele is in town from Madison, Wisconsin, for the race — his first time attending one. He’s a longtime NASCAR fan, and he came to the block party decked out in Wallace’s gear.
“Bringing this to the South Side is really cool,” said Steele, whose family is from the South Side. “Everything Bubba does, supporting progressive causes, getting rid of the Confederate flag, that’s what makes Bubba a champion. Even if he never raced again.”
Wallace successfully persuaded NASCAR to ban Confederate flags, flown from recreational vehicles in the infield of speedways and visible to television cameras, at races and raced with “Black Lives Matter” painted on his car.
Less than two weeks after the ban was put in place, a noose was found in Wallace’s garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The FBI later determined that Wallace wasn’t the target of a hate crime.
Rob Lockhart, a 35-year-old Hyde Park resident, brought his seven kids out to the block party. Growing up, Lockhart was a big fan of “NASCAR Racers,” an animated television show about NASCAR drivers racing on futuristic tracks.
But this week’s festivities are his first time enjoying the real-life version of NASCAR.
“I’m super-geeked to see this, and for something like this to come to our city,” Lockhart said. “I want to try and get into the racing now, and share that with my family.”
Julie Berrios decided to get tickets for the weekend’s races at the last minute — her 4-year-old grandson is a big fan of NASCAR. She brought her kids and grandchildren out to Wednesday’s party.
Berrios’ 12-year-old daughter, Zoe Baskin, has been learning more about how NASCAR works and what to expect during the race.
“I’m really excited,” Zoe said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in real life, and I’m happy my nephew gets to experience it.”
