Bubba Wallace wins Sports Emmy for documentary series 'Race: Bubba Wallace'
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace has taken home the Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Documentary Series — Serialized” for his Netflix documentary series “Race: Bubba Wallace.”
23XI Racing made the announcement on Twitter Tuesday.
The six-episode series takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season through the eyes of the only Black driver at the top level of the sport, and explores Wallace, 23XI Racing, and NASCAR’s efforts to advocate for inclusion and equality in racing and beyond, Netflix states.
Wallace’s documentary series won out over Prime Video‘s “Coach Prime,” Netflix‘s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” HBO‘s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions,” and Netflix‘s “Last Chance U.”
Wallace received an outpouring of congratulations from fans on Twitter.
“Fantastic series! Totally recommend,” one fan wrote. “Great insight into the stresses that @BubbaWallace goes through on a daily basis. Really awesome stuff.”
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports praised the amount of work that went into producing the documentary series.
“The Bubba Wallace series on Netflix won a Sports Emmy,” Pockrass tweeted. “I was interviewed a couple times for it and I was impressed with the time and dedication of the producers to this series.”
23XI Racing president speaks out after fan hijacks Bubba Wallace’s radio with racist comments
Wallace, 29, is coming off a P2 finish in this past Sunday’s All-Star Race at the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway. He finished as the runner-up to Kyle Larson, who led 145-of-200 laps and pocketed the $1 million prize.
A separate incident following the race, however, clouded Wallace’s impressive run. Wallace was subject to a racist remark from a fan who keyed into his radio channel.
“Go back to where you came from you a******,” the person said.
23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta spoke out on the incident Monday.
“And unfortunately not the first time, still waiting for a time when EVERYONE will be treated with the same level of respect,” Lauletta wrote on Twitter. “All of us @23XIRacing will keep pushing to provide @BubbaWallace all he needs to succeed on and off the track #ForwardTogether.”
NASCAR is investigating the incident to determine who the individual is that gained access to the radio channel and how. A 23XI Racing spokesperson told Motorsport that Wallace did not hear or acknowledge the comments at the time.
Additionally, Wallace won’t face any penalties for giving the camera the middle finger during a post-race interview.