Did NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace call for the white flag, which signals the final lap of a race, to be banned, in June 2025? No, that's not true: The rumor originated on a Facebook page that publishes sports-related "sports parodies" and "satire". Wallace, who is Black, previously called for NASCAR to ban displays of the Confederate flag at races, which the organization did in 2020.
The story appeared in a widely-shared June 19, 2025, post on Facebook, which consisted of a graphic containing a photo of Wallace and quotation attributed to him, as well as a longer text caption. The graphic read:
"I'M NOT INTERESTED IN WINNING UNTIL THEY CHANGE THE WHITE FLAG."
BUBBA WALLACE
Reporter asking about his 'Ban the White flag' stance
And the text caption read:
🏁 NASCAR Controversy: Bubba Wallace Questions the Use of the White Flag
Bubba Wallace, one of NASCAR's most vocal drivers, sparked heated debate after suggesting the sport re-evaluate the white flag, which signals the final lap. Wallace cited its controversial symbolism in historical contexts, saying NASCAR should be open to evolving with the times.
"It's not about erasing history," Wallace reportedly told a reporter. "It's about being mindful of what symbols mean to people now."
The suggestion has polarized fans -- some calling it a bold step toward inclusion, others calling it "woke nonsense."
#NASCAR #BubbaWallace #WhiteFlagDebate #FinalLap #RacingForward
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot)
The quote attributed to Wallace was fabricated, and the story was fake.
The page that first published the rumor, Elite Gridiron, publishes what it describes as "sports parodies" and "satire" related to sports. The "white flag" story appears to have been a satirical reference to Wallace's real-life calls for NASCAR to ban displays of Confederate flag at races, which the organization ultimately did, in June 2020.
If Wallace had called for a ban on the use of the white flag to signal the approach of a race's final lap, such remarks would undoubtedly have formed the basis of widespread news coverage.
However, Google News and Yahoo! News searches for "Bubba Wallace" and "white flag" yielded no relevant results on June 20, 2025, further underlining the entirely fictional nature of this rumor.
