Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what other people think. You're out there running your own race and you want to run everybody as clean as possible.
I encourage people to have those tough conversations just to educate yourself on what goes on and how we can create equality in the world and grow together as one.
I wouldn't want to be the guy who went out and won a championship in a horrible year but never made a comment on the issues that we are dealing with in our society.
I'm looking forward to it, to be able to represent the black culture... but I'm doing my best at managing it, keeping it behind me, and that's the best thing I can do.
I've stood for the national anthem ever since grade school. It's a patriotic thing for me. I understand what Colin Kaepernick and others are doing, but it's not for me.
This is a dream come true to race for 'The King' Richard Petty Motorsports, the iconic No. 43 and for all the fans and partners that have and continue to support this team.
It all relies on teamwork. We could be running fifth all day, and we come down pit road for the last stop and the pit crew messes up, then we all go down and not just them.
Creating unity and compassion and understanding of each of our brothers and sisters is so powerful. We have to preach that to the ones that don't want to listen and understand.
My mother said, 'Did you ever believe you would be an activist?' I said, 'No, not really.' But I just felt in my heart that I needed to step up and be a leader in the forefront.
The people that don't want change, the ones that don't see how removing Confederate flag creates so much more opportunities for our sport to grow - they don't want our sport to grow.
My mom told me, every weekend, always stay positive no matter what the circumstances. Stuff's gonna go down. It's not gonna be your race. Media is gonna take the bad before the good.
My African-American friends thought it was cool that I was racing. It's not like we had any role models out there to look up to, so everyone understood I was doing something very different.
Everybody should live their lives to the fullest with no hassles, no hold-backs, no matter what age, what color you are... I don't have an issue talking about it, taking the forefront of it.
I've already got 10,000 more eyes on me because I am of color and they're going to see what I can do in the top series. That's enough pressure in itself, so I don't need to add extra pressure.
I've hit a couple barriers out there on the racetrack growing up. There's definitely been some flak in the way. I've been able to handle that the best I could, ignore it, use that as motivation.
It's simple-minded people like that, the ones that are afraid of change, they use everything in their power to defend what they stand up for instead of trying to listen and understand what's going on.
There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something they have seen, an object they have seen flying.
I definitely feel like I'm carrying on the legacy of the Scott family. What Wendell had to go through was extremely difficult, but he kept racing, kept fighting. Part of him will be with me when I'm out on the track.
It's actually one of the only things that I do that I don't get frustrated over. Everything else I do - racing, golf, video games - those things I want to win at. With photography, I think the camera wins every time.
I've seen too many comments, too many stories from a fan, or first-time fans that have come to a race in years past and the first thing they say is, 'I seen the Confederate flag flying, it made me feel uncomfortable.'
I feel for everybody that goes through it because depression is real, and it doesn't take much to put you in that state of mind to where you think everybody's against you, you're up against the world and that's not true.
For me, I just want to be a role model, put a positive impact on the kids that are watching the sport, that want to be a part of the sport, and leave a good everlasting impact on the sport, continue my legacy down the road.
From Richard Petty to Andy Murstein, everybody at RPM is standing behind me and believing in me on track and also following me through this journey off track and letting me find my way and find my voice in standing up for what's right.
I see all these professional photographers out at the racetrack, and there's all these people across the world, taking really cool pictures and you're like, 'Man, I want to create that!' I had that mindset when I first grabbed a camera.
We've all got to make sure we're all pulling in the same direction. That's what's going to keep us ahead of the ball. As soon as we start getting in the opposite direction, that's when we start getting behind, and the results will start to show.
We were fortunate enough to have our own business to keep us moving up through the ranks - go-karts, Bandoleros, Legend cars, Late Models. That's where we stalled out, but luckily we caught a break with Joe Gibbs Racing and the diversity program.
It's short-track racing. You're going to get that and it's going to happen. I don't know why everybody thought it was the end of the world when wrecks were going to happen. Like I said, with close-quarter racing like that it's going to get heated.
You know, it helps having an African American driver behind the wheel. I'm representing that culture and that background. But a lot of background pressure, I don't really put that on me. I know I have enough pressure to go out and perform every week.
It's like Richard Petty always said, 'Racing isn't the job. That's where we get away from our job.' That's where we go out and have fun and get away from the madness. No one can bother you in there. There's no phones, no interviews - it's just you, driving.
It's something we're trying to change and NASCAR is as a whole trying to bring in a younger fan base, a different-looking fan base, we're trying to change the whole demographic of the sport. Me going out to do that is something I'll take responsibility for.
I've had my fair share of incidents with law enforcement, whether they're saying smart remarks, condescending remarks to downplay who I am and what I can afford... It's something that made me stronger on the back end of it, and learned from those instances.
I want to be a champion, and win races as much as I can and elevate my platforms and become an icon in the sport. It's going to take a lot of hard work and determination from my camp and for myself to get to where we need to be. I'm excited about the journey.
There's no need for me to go out there and try to set the world on fire, try to win races and put myself in a tough spot, not be able to capitalize on it. If the opportunity presents itself, yeah, we'll jump on it. There's no need for me to force a hole, end up tearing up a racecar.
I was so young when I started that I didn't really understand all of it. We'd show up and have the slurs being thrown out there, but my parents always dealt with that. They just told me to go out there, do my best, and try to win. Go out there and race well and they'll shut right up.
Ever since being vocal in being a human being, I've been proud to kind of step away from Bubba Wallace the athlete and to step up as Bubba Wallace the human and not be so, 'I don't know If I can touch that;' 'I don't know if I can say these types of things.' I'm letting that guard down.
The biggest thing is getting the kid in a kart - they have to buy it and that's the biggest thing. You can go to a sporting store and buy a basketball for 30 bucks or a football for 30 bucks. You go buy a go-kart and that's 300 bucks. What are you going to get? A basketball or a go-kart?
The Ahmaud Arbery video was the final straw for me in being silent. That shook me to the core like nothing has in the past. Something flipped inside of me to be more vocal and stand up for racial equality and make sure we get a hold on that and change the face of this world and get it to a better place.
I've never had any issues with racism or racist people at the track for as long as I've been racing in NASCAR. All of that stuff that has happened to my face took place when I was coming up. And a lot of what I get now on social media is 13- and 14-year-old kids just trying to act tough. Well, I'll call them out.
We are ambassadors. We are leaders of our own brands, and then in life things are thrown at you, you have to stand up for what's right. That brings on a whole new role. It's not on the front of the agenda that you see, but if you read the fine print it's part of becoming an athlete and the pedestal you get with that.