Netflix To Release Docuseries On Bubba Wallace, The First Black Driver To Win A NASCAR Race In Decades

Photo: Chris Graythen (Getty Images)

Last year, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a Cup Series race since Wendell Scott took a contested victory in 1963. Wallace hit headlines the season before thanks to his activism. Now, Netflix is celebrating his career with a new docuseries set to be released on Feb. 22, 2022.

“RACE: Bubba Wallace” will be composed of six episodes each running 45 minutes, Adam Stern reported on Twitter.

The series follows Wallace’s 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, his first with brand-new team 23XI, which was developed in partnership between NASCAR winner Denny Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan. According to Deadline, the film follows Wallace’s decisions to speak out about racial injustice and the backlash he faced for doing so.

Wallace encouraged NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag. He then united the paddock after his team discovered what appeared to be a noose in his garage soon after. He took up the mantle with t-shirts that read “I CAN’T BREATHE” and spoke out about what it was like to be one of the few Black drivers in NASCAR. This documentary looks to follow that trend, to explore more in depth what this journey has been like for Wallace.

“This is unlike any project I’ve ever participated in; it’s a raw, emotional, and completely transparent account of the events that took place throughout the 2020 and 2021 NASCAR seasons,” Wallace said in a statement.

He continued:

With me, what you see is what you get. You’ll witness the peaks and valleys of the sport and see how one’s actions off of the race track are just as important as the ones on it. One of the most compelling pieces of the series is the additional insight the viewers will gain by hearing from my peers, family, and some of my partners that played a role in this monumental journey. Join me as we break down barriers, confront controversy, and welcome a new fan base to the sport of NASCAR.

The first trailer for the film is currently available on YouTube. You can watch it below:

From what we can see in that short teaser, Netflix appears to be exploring the emotional impact of his activism and his on-track escapades — for better or for worse.

“To be a Black man, to be in that NASCAR space, and to wear a shirt that says ‘I can’t breathe…’ I have a responsibility,” Wallace says in the clip. “True colors are going to come out.”

The full documentary debuts on Feb. 22, 2022