Bubba Wallace reflects on 'huge success' of block party ahead of Chicago Street Race
Bubba Wallace is doing his best to grow NASCAR. This week, he did that by hosting a block party on the south side of Chicago ahead of the Chicago Street Race on Sunday.
NASCAR returns to the Windy City this weekend, but in a different format. It previously ran Cup Series races at the Chicagoland Raceway in Joliet. The Chicago Street Race will be a new venture for the sport, creating more excitement.
But before the events started over the weekend, Wallace hosted Bubba’s Block Party to get the sport in front of new faces.
“This is an incredible demographic to be a part of and tap into,” Wallace said, per the Chicago Sun Times. The block party “is for the people who are on the fence about NASCAR, or have been a closeted fan. This gives them a chance to come out and enjoy their time and get a sense of what NASCAR is about.”
It looks and sounds like everything went extremely well during the event.
“Bubba’s Block Party Chicago was a huge success,” Wallace wrote on Twitter. “Big thanks to Lupe Fiasco, all the partners and NASCAR for getting this done. This is just one of the ways we’re working to bring new faces to this sport.”
Thanks to the block party hosted by Wallace, NASCAR might’ve gained a few more fans. We’ll see if a sport sees a bump in the ratings this weekend for the Chicago Street Race.
Bubba Wallace hosts Block Party in MJ’s city
Hosting a block party in Chicago seems appropriate for Wallace, who drives for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team. Obviously, the “Air Man” is a legend in the city after winning six NBA championships in the 1990s with the Chicago Bulls.
Before the event even kicked off, Wallace talked about why he and his racing team decided to host the party before the race.
“A lot of people [have been[ saying that they don’t feel welcomed to be a part of our sport. I’ve been racing for 20 years, going on 21 years now, and I couldn’t think of being anywhere else,” Wallace told the Chicago Tribune, via The Comeback. “… I’ve always enjoyed my time, except when I lose. But from the stories that I’ve heard and people’s comments, we got to be better.
“You’ve always heard the labels about our sport whether it’s being racist, redneck or whatnot. That’s very far from the truth. There’s always a couple bad apples, but a couple bad apples doesn’t portray the whole picture of our sport.”
Sunday’s Chicago Street Race begins at 5:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC.