It was just over a week ago that NASCAR driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. declared that the racing series should ban confederate flags from events.
NASCAR did so a day later, and Wallace had a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme for a race at Martinsville Speedway, a move that resulted in supportive tweets from 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and LeBron James.
Another supporter was New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who starting tweeting about Wallace and NASCAR’s statement banning confederate flags on June 10. When he was invited to Homstead-Miami Speedway for the Dixie Vodka 400, he accepted and supported Wallace with a shirt and hat.
Here’s his first tweet reacting to Wallace’s paint job:
And here’s a look at his day at the track on Sunday:
Kamara also spoke to the Miami Herald and had a lot to say about NASCAR’s actions and Wallace speaking out:
“I don’t think it’s about when to say it. It’s about it actually being said,” Kamara said. “It’s taken this long to do it and it is what it is. Me personally, I’m not going to be mad at that because the climate dictated it. The fact that they sat down and got rid of it, and are making these strides to flip the script, that’s all you can ask for.” …
“I know [Wallace’s] got the weight of the world on his shoulders being the only African-American driver with what’s going on and what the climate of the world is right now, and taking a stand,” Kamara said. “He’s backed into a corner right now and it takes a lot of courage to be in the place that he’s in and still say, You know what? I’m going to stand up for what’s right instead of just being quiet and I commend him on that. It takes a lot of bravery. It takes being comfortable in your skin to be able to do something like that.”
