Netflix’s upcoming documentary series RACE: Bubba Wallace shines the spotlight on the personal life and professional racing career of NASCAR’s only full-time Black driver. The just-released trailer features clips from Wallace’s career and highlights his activism within professional racing, including prompting NASCAR to ban Confederate flags from their events.
“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. 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,” said Wallace. “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.”
Erik Parker (L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later) directed the docuseries and serves as an executive producer along with NASCAR’s Matt Summers, Tim Clark, and Tally Hair. Executive producers also include 300 Studios’ Kevin Liles, Nolan Baynes, and Kelly G. Griffin as well as Boardwalk Pictures’ Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Sarina Roma.
The six episode docuseries will premiere on February 22, 2022.
RACE: Bubba Wallace Synopsis, Courtesy of Netflix:
Both the personal and professional tracks of race car driver Bubba Wallace’s life are chronicled in this new docuseries. With exclusive access to Wallace during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, his first with Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, the series traces his rise to the elite ranks of NASCAR as the only full-time Black driver and the turbulent aftermath that followed his decision to speak out about racial injustice.
Over the course of six episodes Wallace reckons with who he is on and off the track, finding himself as both a driver and an activist. He confronts his mental health issues and permanently alters the notoriously white and conservative sport of racing by inspiring the ban on the Confederate flag. While dealing with the stress of competition and the public fallout both at the track and on social media from his stand, Wallace is supported in his efforts by his family and members of the racing community.
The series includes appearances by Bubba’s fiancée and family members, his team behind-the-scenes, 23XI Racing co-owner and top NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, fellow drivers Kyle Busch and Richard Petty, NASCAR executives, as well as commentators Michael Strahan, Jemele Hill, and W. Kamau Bell who help contextualize what it means to be the only Black individual in a white space.
