Bubba Wallace drives vaccine-branded car at Talladega

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace drove a No. 23 Toyota Camry sponsored by Kroger Health and the COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid during the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

In an interview with The Athletic, Wallace addressed the attention the sponsorship received, stating he was “just pissing off the keyboard warriors.” He explained that while the COVID-19 aspect might cause controversy, the broader goal of the Kroger Health partnership is to encourage health education and flu shot uptake. “Everyone else can make their own in lines, but we’re all in it together to help everybody’s health,” Wallace said.

Wallace, who has three career race wins, previously drew national attention at the Talladega track in 2019 following an FBI investigation into a reported noose in his garage stall, which investigators concluded was a garage door pull cord.