CHICAGO — Ahead of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, Bubba Wallace — driver No. 23 of Michael Jordan co-owned 23XI Racing — will host “Bubba’s Block Party,” a nationwide community initiative at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on Wednesday.
The South Side event will feature racing-themed entertainment, local food from Black-owned businesses and a live musical performance from Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco. It is scheduled from 5-9 p.m.
“A lot of people (have been) saying that they don’t feel welcomed to be a part of our sport. I’ve been racing for 20 years, going on 21 years now, and I couldn’t think of being anywhere else,” Wallace told the Tribune.
“I’ve always enjoyed my time, except when I lose. But from the stories that I’ve heard and people’s comments, we got to be better. You’ve always heard the labels about our sport whether it’s being racist, redneck or whatnot. That’s very far from the truth. There’s always a couple bad apples, but a couple bad apples doesn’t portray the whole picture of our sport.”
Wallace, who became just the second Black driver to win a race in NASCAR’s top Cup Series level in 2021, wants his block party to be a place where people who haven’t felt welcomed by the racing community to come and learn about the sport. Since 2020, Wallace has tried to expose racing to new audiences, bringing “our life into their lives and vice versa.”
The block party initiative, which began last year, has been held in Richmond, Va., and Birmingham, Ala. — both cities with majority Black and minority communities. They are intended to be a fun atmosphere where Wallace can connect with fans of all ages.
“It’s really just for you to feel welcomed and feel wanted, something a lot of people have said in years past that they don’t feel comfortable with,” he said of the block parties, which also feature iRacing simulators and pit stops.
At the parties, Wallace can get feedback from fans. He views it as an opportunity to show there are other ways to be a part of NASCAR, such as a member of a pit crew. He acknowledges the expense of the sport for both participants and viewers can be a barrier to entry for many in Black and brown communities. The block parties are free.
“We were brainstorming ideas on how we need to keep trending forward and moving the messages forward, moving our visuals, our fan base forward, and not staying stagnant and doing the same old stuff,” Wallace said of his Diversity Leadership Team that was created in 2020. “I was like, ‘hey, you know, there’s a lot of people that want to come to race. They don’t feel safe, they don’t feel welcomed. Why don’t we make a welcoming environment beforehand? Have a party at the racetrack, like a block party?’.”
Having the Chicago installment event at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center was an intentional choice on the part of Wallace and NASCAR.
The museum is named after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. Wallace called it “an honor” to both give back and pay homage to its namesake, the first permanent non-indigenous settler of what would eventually become the city of Chicago.
He hopes the Chicago street race, as well as the block party, will bring racing to those who have felt it was out of reach — and help move NASCAR forward.
“It was really big for us to start trending a different way. So for me, I speak what’s on my mind and I don’t regret it. And it rubs a lot of people the wrong way,” Wallace said.
“It makes people question a lot about themselves. It also allows people to accept change and accept something different. It’s been a fun process, but it’s been a tough one to continue to guide because it’s a never-ending process. And there’s always going to be something that we need to be better at. And it’s up to us to be proactive instead of reactive.”
The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will be held Sunday around Grant Park.
