NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace proposes to longtime girlfriend Amanda Carter
"The wait is over!!" tweeted the 27-year-old NASCAR star
NASCAR Cup Series star Darell “Bubba” Wallace announced he is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Amanda Carter.
The 27-year-old driver shared the news via social media on Friday, tweeting: “Why I waited so long..we will never know. The wait is over!! Here’s to forever! Forever ever!” alongside a series of photos showcasing moments from the event which appeared to take place during a mountain trail hike.
One photo shows Wallace down on one knee in front of a waterfall popping the question to Carter, whose reaction is hidden due to her facing away from the camera.
Wallace and his new fianceė are currently on vacation during a multi-week break in NASCAR’s schedule, NASCAR.com reports.
He currently sits at 20th on NASCAR’s points list, and with four races left before the post-season begins, Wallace is looking to earn his first-ever Cup Series playoff appearance in September. Only the top 16 drivers are eligible to compete in the event.
The Mobile, Alabama native is one of only two Black race car drivers in all four of NASCAR’s national racing series. The other is 33-year old Texas native Jesse Iwuji who is also a United States Navy Reserve officer.
Wallace was instrumental in bringing awareness to racial justice issues in the summer of 2020, including championing the Black Lives Matter movement and pushing NASCAR to ban Confederate flags at all events. His activism caused him to receive backlash from many fans.
In June 2020, following the ban, the FBI was brought in by NASCAR to investigate a noose that was left in Wallace’s Talladega garage stall. They concluded it was a “garage door pull” rope, causing skeptical fans to question Wallace’s integrity, which he responded to in an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon.
“I’ve been racing all of my life,” Wallace said. “We’ve raced out of hundreds of garages that never had garage pulls like that.”
Wallace still recieved an outpouring of support from fellow drivers and fans alike, with NASCAR releasing a statement that they were “angry and outraged,” by the incident, adding “we “cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act.”
Wallace tweeted a message saying the “despicable act of racism and hatred” hurt and saddened him and serves as a “painful reminder” of the state of racism in America.
“I have been overwhelmed by the support from people across the NASCAR industry, including other drivers and team members in the garage,” he added. “Together, our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone.”
He currently drives the No. 23 car for the Michael Jordan-owned team 23XI Racing. The team was recently announced by the NBA legend and co-owner NASCAR Driver Denny Hamlin in 2020.
Wallace previously drove the No.43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Jordan is the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team in nearly 50 years, the last to do so being Hall of Fame NASCAR driver Wendell Scott from 1961 to 1973.
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