Bubba Wallace’s Heart and Soul Inspired Alvin Kamara to Start Chasing His NASCAR Dreams

NASCAR fans excited to see Alvin Kamara have a presence in the sport can thank Bubba Wallace.

Kamara, the New Orleans Saints’ star running back, is trying to make some inroads at NASCAR. The four-time Pro Bowler is already sponsoring drivers and entertaining the idea of eventually creating his own team.

During a recent interview, Kamara said that Wallace — the sport’s lone Black driver at the Cup Series level — inspired him to pursue this newest dream.

Alvin Kamara said Bubba Wallace’s courage inspired him

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Without Bubba Wallace, Alvin Kamara might only have football on his brain this spring.

Kamara, a Pro Bowl star for the Saints, knew about NASCAR and slightly followed it from afar without fully understanding the sport. That was until Kamara saw Wallace, a rising star driver, began using his voice to lead social change last summer.

Wallace, who is Black, spoke out against systemic racism and led a fight to have the Confederate flag banned from NASCAR events. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Kamara explained how much Wallace’s efforts impacted him.

“Obviously with NASCAR making the move to ban the flag from their events and basically their culture and their footprint. That was one huge thing. I probably couldn’t bring myself to go to a race if that was something I felt like they were supporting. With that being gone, I think there will be more African American fans and people that are interested.”

Kamara shared those thoughts from experience because he has gradually become a much bigger fan of Wallace and NASCAR as a whole over the past year.

Alvin Kamara has praised Bubba Wallace before

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Alvin Kamara’s recent endorsement of Bubba Wallace isn’t the first time their paths have crossed.

Kamara was one of the many high-profile athletes who supported Bubba Wallace’s fight against the Confederate flag in 2020. When Wallace raced at the Dixie Vodka 400 in Florida last year, Kamara — who trains in the Sunshine State — attended as a guest.

That race came a week after Wallace, then with Richard Petty Motorsports, debuted Black Lives Matter paint scheme on his Chevy.

Kamara, who played at Tennessee, knew Wallace because the latter is a Volunteers fan. Wallace’s mother, Desiree, was a track athlete at Tennessee.

Kamara is getting involved with NASCAR

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Alvin Kamara and Bubba Wallace are each having far different beginnings to the new NASCAR season.

Kamara and his juice bar chain, “The Big Squeezy,” are sponsoring Xfinity Series driver Ryan Vargas. This is Vargas’ first full season at the Xfinity Series level.

Kamara has also publicly entertained the idea of creating his own team. Wallace now races for 23XI Racing, which is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Speaking of Wallace, he placed …read more

Source:: Sportscasting