DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 21: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Toyota, waves to fans from the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona International Speedway on February 21, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Bubba Wallace: ESPN special
Shane Walters
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is set to be featured in an ESPN E60 special
Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace (E60)
Bubba Wallace will star in a special ‘Fistful of Steel’ via ESPN. The special is a deep-dive into the NASCAR drivers personal life as well as the ups and downs as a racing driver.
Wallace has had a roller-coaster career in NASCAR. 2021 was his fifth year in the sport and the first with new team 23XI Racing. The driver has become a polarizing personality among NASCAR fans.
He drove to his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway. The win came almost exactly 1-year following the noose incident at the same track a year prior.
In 2020, Wallace was a voice for change in the sport. He spoke out against the Confederate flag which soon led to the ban of the flag at all NASCAR events.
With a noose found in the garage stall during the 2020 event at Talladega, Wallace became a household name. However, following an FBI investigation, the garage pull was tied in a noose, a year prior. Given the timeline, it was determined that the rope wasn’t targeted toward Wallace.
With the 2021 win at Talladega, Wallace became the second Black driver to win at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
Wallace sat down with ESPN’s Ryan McGee. He’ll speak candidly about his personal upbringing as well as racial issues which he’s been vocal about in the past. Other topics of the special include Kyle Larson, who used a slur during an online race in 2020.
Fistful of Steel is produced by Mike Farrell, John Minton and Lauren Stowell.
Airing: The Rise of Bubba Wallace will air Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The program will be available for streaming via ESPN + and the ESPN app.