Race: Bubba Wallace, the six-part docu-series released on Netflix in February 2022, has won a Sports Emmy Award for an Outstanding Documentary Series (Serialized).
The docu-series follows Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, who in 2020, amidst a global pandemic and ongoing racial injustice in America, was moved to drive forward change – calling for NASCAR to ban the Confederate Flag.
Shortly thereafter, Wallace was thrust into an international spotlight, one that would send his career on a trajectory that would solidify his legacy as an agent of change, while also blossoming sweeping changes to the identity and perception of NASCAR as a sport.
His role in speaking out against the injustices taking place in the United States drew the attention of several corporate sponsors, as well as two close friends that didn’t lack any star-power themselves.
In September 2020, Wallace was announced as the first driver for 23XI Racing, a Toyota-supported NASCAR Cup Series organization co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, which would field the No. 23 Toyota Camry in 2021.
Furthermore, the series explores Wallace’s first campaign with 23XI Racing, while also touching on more serious issues, such as Wallace’s battle with depression amid all of the outside noise seeping in.
The six-part series – one of the few motorsport-related programs on Netflix – was released just two days following the season-opener for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, and was produced by 300 Studies, Boardwalk Productions, and NASCAR Productions.
Race: Bubba Wallace was selected as the winner of the Sports Emmy Award among a class of four other documentaries, which included: Formula 1: Drive to Survive [Netflix], Coach Prime [Amazon Prime Video], Hard Knocks [HBO / HBO Max], and Last Chance U [Netflix].
The #SportsEmmys Award for Documentary Series – Serialized goes to Race: Bubba Wallace (@netflix). pic.twitter.com/7vtsXdF7I1
— Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) May 23, 2023
