President Donald Trump is rumored to be attending this year’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. If he shows up, he will be there to watch a driver he has a spotty history with.
Bubba Wallace, who drives the McDonald’s car for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team 23XI Racing, engaged in a public feud with Trump in 2020.
In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the George Floyd riots, Wallace made multiple posts on X, then known as Twitter, condemning Trump for promoting hate.
Trump himself attacked Wallace on social media over the driver calling for a ban on confederate flags at races and alleged that an investigation into a noose being found in his garage was a “hoax.” An FBI investigation found that the noose had been in the garage stall since October 2019, and no crime had been committed.
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Bubba Wallace, #43, wears a “I Can’t Breathe, Black Lives Matter” shirt before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 7, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Later that year, Wallace alleged that he had been told he was “bringing politics into NASCAR,” in response to his condemnation of Trump. However, in 2024, Wallace made no political posts to speak of. Wallace previously told Fox News Digital why.
“Investing my time into that seems like a waste of time,” Wallace said at the time. “I was definitely more vocal then because our sport was in desperate need of change.”
Now, with Trump set to possibly attend the Daytona 500, Wallace feels just as indifferent as he did during the past year’s election. At the Daytona 500 media day on Wednesday, Wallace said he “couldn’t care less” if Trump showed up or not.
“We’re here to race. Not for the show,” Wallace added.
The response is in line with Wallace’s recent approach to politics. Unlike in 2020, he no longer makes any political social media posts. His feed on X is now just a curated mix of racing photos, promotional posts and photos of family.
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Bubba Wallace, right, argues with Kyle Larson after the two crashed during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
One of the biggest reasons Wallace abandoned that habit from 2020 is because of cultural shifts in social media during that time. Wallace said there is overwhelming “negativity” on the platforms he would use to get any messages of his beliefs out.
“Social media nowadays is just a way for people to hide behind a screen and voice their opinions on things they don’t really know about,” Wallace previously told Fox News Digital.
“It’s just too much negativity that it’s going to take years and years and years to get rid of, and we don’t have time for that,” Wallace said of the current culture of social media. “Now, with being a dad and trying to be the best that I can be here for my race team and my team here, that’s where I’m investing my energy so that’s all you can really ask for.”
For Wallace, the impact of becoming a father has been a transformative experience for him in such a short amount of time. Since his son was born, Wallace has two top-10 finishes in the three races he has competed in. He is also looking at life through a lense he was not looking through before.
“You have your kid at home and a full family to provide for now, so it’s crazy to go through all that,” Wallace said.
Meanwhile, if Trump shows up, it will be two major sporting event appearances for the president within the span of a week.
Last Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend a Super Bowl when he traveled to the Superdome in New Orleans to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Trump previously served as grand marshal for the 2020 Daytona 500 and gave the command for drivers to start their engines. He also took a parade lap around the 2 1/2-mile speedway in his armored limousine, leading the 40-car field before the green flag. The presidential motorcade remained on the apron in the corners instead of taking to the high-banked turns.
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President Donald Trump, accompanied by Ivanka Trump, speaks before signing the National Security Presidential Memorandum to Launch the “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity” Initiative. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Thousands cheered, and a band played patriotic music when Air Force One flew over the famed track, a flyover that was simultaneously shown on big screens. Trump’s presence energized fans and caused huge headaches because of logistical issues at entrance points.
Trump, with first lady Melania Trump by his side, addressed the crowd before the race and called the Daytona 500 “a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits and the American skill, speed and power that we’ve been hearing about for so many years.”
A notice from the Federal Aviation Administration posted Monday indicated that Trump was expected to attend the race, but NASCAR said Wednesday it had gotten no confirmation.
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