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23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace is gearing up for take-off at Dover International Speedway this Sunday (28 April).
The #23 Toyota Camry driver will be seen driving in a special paint scheme honoring the World War II Flying Tigers and Vietnam War veterans in partnership with the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The 23XI Racing team welcomed USAF as their sponsor earlier this year in January. He previously carried the USAF colors back in 2020 with Richard Petty Motorsports.
The unveiling of this new paint design has left fans divided on social media. In the announcement post of 23XI Racing with Wallace and USAF on Instagram, NASCAR fans were seen sharing their feelings regarding the same.
A fan on the Instagram post of 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace in collaboration with USAF tried to bash the former for this sponsorship.
"Air Force couldn't afford a good driver so they settled for 'Didn't Earn It Bubba' instead!" commented a fan.
"I'll support our troops, but I got no love for Bubba. If you can't tell the difference between a door pull and a noose, you have zero business above 55 mph," commented a fan.
Another fan gave a thumbs-up to 23XI Racing for the race at Dover International Speedway this Sunday.
"Good luck this weekend! Let's get a win!!" said the fan.
"Yeah, bro we gotta get this one in victory lane" commented another fan.
"Very cool!! Let’s Go #23 🏎️🏎️🏎️" said a fan.
"One of my favorite paint schemes 🔥🔥" a fan appreciated the paint.
A brief look at the U.S. Air Force's partnership with Bubba Wallace
The only full-time African-American driver in the NASCAR national series, Bubba Wallace, is set to drive the inaugural Xfinity United States Air Force-inspired paint scheme at Dover International Speedway.
Having had a history of partnership with the USAF in his early days at Richard Petty Motorsports, the 30-year-old Wallace will be seen rolling out with four Vietnam War veterans' names on the hood of the car who will also attend the race event at Dover.
According to Heavy, an Xfinity spokesperson said:
"The paint scheme is among a number of initiatives Xfinity is rolling out in celebration of Military Appreciation Month, the ideal time to unveil both the paint scheme and reaffirm Xfinity’s commitment to the military, veterans and their families given its close ties to the Air Base that is just six miles away from Dover Motor Speedway.”
The paint scheme was done in collaboration with Xfinity and the USAF. Xfinity will even release an ad with the four veterans during the race to celebrate Military Appreciation Month, held in May each year since 1999.
Currently, Wallace has three top-five finishes in the first 10 races of the season and now sits in 11th place with 257 points in the Cup Series overall standings.
