'We Set the Tone': Bubba Wallace Defends NASCAR's Decision Not Postpone Races in Protest of Police Violence

NASCAR decided not to join the NBA, WNBA and other professional sports leagues in postponing scheduled games in protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s Cup series, defended the organization’s decision to resume races on schedule, saying essentially that NASCAR has already proven its commitment to standing up for racial justice.

On Thursday, Wallace responded to fans who want to know if the racing company will following other sports organizations in pausing things in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by tweeting, “Many of you are wondering ‘what will NASCAR do’…We set the tone for sports coming back during this pandemic. We stood up for change. We stood up for racial justice. We stood up for #GeorgeFloyd. We stood up for #AhmaudArbery and #BreonnaTaylor.”

“We will continue to stand for the countless victims of police brutality,” he wrote. “Nothing can justify #JacobBlake being shot 7 times in the back. I proudly support my brothers and sisters from all sports backgrounds and the stance they are taking to fight for equality.”

According to the Washington Post, NASCAR hasn’t released a statement regarding its participation in protests over the Blake shooting, but Wallace’s post was retweeted from the organization’s Twitter account.

To his credit, Wallace has certainly been outspoken when it comes to racial injustice. He was instrumental NASCAR’s decision to ban Confederate flags, he has called out racism he’s had to endure as a racer and he even raced in a car with a “Black Lives Matter” paint scheme.

So we can probably give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. At the very least, we can be sure that his dedication to the fight against systemic racism hasn’t wavered.