Bubba Wallace calls NASCAR's Confederate flag ban a 'huge, pivotal moment'

Monday night on CNN, NASCAR driver Darrell "Bubba" Wallace told Don Lemon he thought NASCAR needed to ban the Confederate flag from its events as one way to demonstrate its commitment to fighting racism. By Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR had, in fact, banned the symbol of slavery and injustice.

The Confederate flag has been common at some races, but in its statement Wednesday, NASCAR said the flag at its events "runs contrary to our commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry."

Integral in leading NASCAR's anti-racism efforts, Wallace — who is racing Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway with a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme on his No. 43 Chevrolet —  initially just clapped when FOX Sports asked for his reaction to the flag ban. He gave NASCAR credit for the move and called it "a huge, pivotal moment for the sport."

He also described the mid-week Martinsville race as the "biggest race of my career."

Wallace told FOX Sports on pit road before the Martinsville race:

"Bravo. Props to NASCAR and everybody involved. This has been a stressful couple weeks. This is no doubt the biggest race of my career tonight. And it couldn't be at a more perfect place, where I got my first win in the Truck Series in 2013. Followed it up with that second win in 2014. So I'm excited about tonight. There's a lot of emotions on the race track and off the race track that are riding with us, but tonight is something special. Today's been special. Again, hats off to NASCAR.

"[NASCAR president Steve] Phelps and I have been in contact a lot, just trying to figure out what steps are next. And that was a huge, pivotal moment for the sport. Lot of backlash, but it creates doors and allows the community to come together as one, and that's what the real mission is here. So I'm excited about that."

Like at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Wallace was wearing a shirt with "I Can't Breathe" and "Black Lives Matter" on it before the race.

Wallace started Wednesday night's race 23rd following a random draw.