NASCAR's Bubba Wallace before the last race at Fontana. The Fontana track will be dismantled after 25 years of racing.
NASCAR's Bubba Wallace before the last race at Fontana. The Fontana track will be dismantled after 25 years of racing. Credit: Jon Gaede, Black Voice News Sports

Jon Gaede & Steve Hilbig | BVN Sports

Since 1997, save for a recent two-year hiatus, NASCAR has hosted races on the two-mile track in Fontana, a tradition that spanned 25 seasons.

On Sunday, February 26, a sold-out crowd filled the grandstands to witness the 200 laps for the very last time. The Inland Empire racing facility built with 370 tons of steel and rebar will now be dismantled. 

Hendrick Motor Sports the most successful racing team with eight wins at Fontana

Veteran driver Kurt Busch overcame an unlikely 32nd position and 27 lead changes, before ultimately taking the lead with about 20 laps to go and surviving a challenge by Chase Elliott. 

Busch won his fourth race at the Fontana, one more than Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Hendrick Motor Sports was the most successful racing team with eight wins at Fontana, while Roush won seven.

Actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish, an honorary starter at the Daytona 500, in attendance to see the last race, Pala Casino 400 on Sunday. (Photo: Jon Gaede, Black Voice News Sports).

Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace, only two Black drivers to win  NASCAR sanctioned races 

Several years ago, Laker icon Earvin Magic Johnson brought his business experience and acumen to assist NASCAR with a Black driver and ownership initiative in the sport. This included the development of grass root programs and a nationwide commitment to diversity in all aspects to include owners, drivers, crew members and workforce. Wendell Scott (Dec/1963) and Bubba Wallace are the only two Black drivers to win a NASCAR sanctioned race.

Bubba Wallace and the Toyota Driver Development program

Michael Jordan’s 23XI Race Team has made an impact as a NASCAR team owner. Bubba Wallace  has two career wins, splitting his track time between Joe Gibbs Racing and Jordan’s 23XI, finishing 30th in the Pala Casino 400 on Sunday. 

Wallace came up through the Toyota Driver Development program, winning six times in the Camping World Truck Series. Wallace founded “Live to be Different” foundation and a related scholarship fund.

While on assignment for GamePro Magazine in 1996, Jon Gaede met former Black Voice Sports Editor, Leland Stein at a Los Angeles Lakers’ game. They formed a working relationship which has endured for 24 years. In addition to African safaris, theater productions, Footsteps to Freedom Tours with Black Voice News Publisher Emeritus Cheryl Brown, concerts and portraits, Jon’s true passion comes from shooting action sports images. Jon has covered a variety of prep, collegiate and professional sports from track & field to boxing, including six Olympic Games.