RELATED: Bubba Wallace to drive iconic No. 43 | Drivers of the No. 43
No. 43.
There’s just so much history behind it.
But beyond that, it’s a family.
Ever since I got the call that I was going to drive the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2018, it’s been totally different than any other team I’ve been with. Brian Moffitt is the CEO, and he’s Richard Petty’s son-in-law, and his daughter Rebecca helps run the deal — and I’ve already met their kids. Pretty much everybody at RPM is a Petty and I’m loving it.
Even my girlfriend Amanda got to witness that dynamic. We went up to a team dinner the other night and she told me after, ‘Wow, it’s crazy how they’re already kind of taking you under their wing.’
It makes you feel good and it’s special, for sure. It’s more like a family that just happens to own a race team.
– – –
It’s been a roller coaster ride to get to this point.
Sponsorship talks had me going from Cloud 9 to the lowest low, which my mom and Amanda got to hear all about. When a sponsor deal fell through, I felt like someone just punched me in the gut. It kind of just took all the breath out of me.
So, getting the call a few weeks ago that we were back to a full season in the No. 43 was huge. It’s a great opportunity for me, but it was also a huge decision. I had a couple options on the table and was trying to figure out which path to follow. Before signing the deal, I dialed up three guys who know racing pretty well; Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick.
They gave me some great advice; Kyle and Jimmie were trying to figure out the logistics of it all and encouraging me to do some research. Harvick has been a support system for a while. He actually reached out to me two years ago to say he was there for me and that I had some support when the times were a little tough.
When I was in the midst of figuring out my next steps, I remember telling him, ‘Man this is just a risk.’ But then he said, ‘Whoa, you already took the risk, buddy, years ago when you left Joe Gibbs Racing — that was your risk right there. If you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t be on this phone call with me right now, so don’t think this is a risk – it’s just the next step and it’s all going to unfold for you right here.’
Nothing like a Monster Energy Series champ to bestow some words of wisdom on ya like that!
I thought it was pretty special for him to say that. He’s been a big influencer on me and it has been awesome to have him in my corner. (I’ve just got to make sure I don’t get into him on the track come next season because that friendship might go away.)
– – –
Looking ahead to 2018, I’m really hoping that I can do some great things in the car. But I’m also hoping to do some good outside the car, as well.
As the first full-time African-American NASCAR driver in the premier series since Wendell Scott drove in the ’60s and ’70s, I hope this really opens the eyes and the ears of African-American business owners and the African-American demographic in regards to racing.
I’m biracial. I have black in me and that will never go away, that will never change. I’m always different, and I’ve embraced that.
It’s special that I have an opportunity to make a difference in the sport — not everyone has that platform. I really hope this step will help NASCAR grow as a sport and really just take off from there.
So, when the Daytona 500 rolls around in February, it’s going to be a big day for me, one that I’ll probably always remember for many reasons. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself, because that’s what I’ve always done with season debuts and it tends to bite me.
But the close-knit atmosphere at Richard Petty Motorsports lets me know that even if I do have a bad race or day, they’ll be there for me.
Because that’s what family does.
MORE: Bubba’s career highlights | Wallace will keep dazzling us