Bubba Wallace: More Good Than Bad Reaction to NASCAR Banning Confederate Flag

Bubba Wallace told CNN's Don Lemon on Friday that he's received "a lot of positive outreach" following NASCAR's Confederate flag ban.

Wallace, who is the only black full-time driver on NASCAR's Cup Series, also said that there are fans who are upset and reticent to accept change and understanding.

"You're getting both sides of it. You're getting a lot of positive outreach, a lot of positive impact and gaining new fans as we go. And then you're getting the fans that will never watch a NASCAR race again, the same fans that never watched the NFL after the kneeling, the same fans that are crying out that we're ruining their lives and just throwing a pity party, as [opposed to] accepting change and understanding why we need this change and why it's such a pivotal moment for our country."

He did note that there is "more good than there is bad" on social media and said he is excited to see who shows up at the races when people are able to attend:

"It's on a global level that this is an impact. So I'm excited about the change. I wish fans could come back ASAP just so we could see the demographic and who shows up, what shows up, everybody who shows up. I just want to see and hear what they have to say. But through social media, you're getting both sides of the story, but there's, obviously, more good than there is bad. So I'm excited about it."

Wallace called for NASCAR to enact a Confederate flag ban at its races last Monday in an initial talk with Lemon:

"No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race," Wallace said. "So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them."

NASCAR took swift action two days later, announcing the flag's ban at its events and buildings.

The flag has received criticism from notable NASCAR figures in the past. Of note, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had previously said in 2015 that he and his late father, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, were both opposed to the flag, per Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee. Jeff Gordon also said on CBS This Morning that there was no place for the flag in the sport.

NASCAR had asked fans to stop bringing Confederate flags to races in 2015 but stopped short of an outright ban.

That has now changed, however, with Wallace helping drive the ban's enaction.