NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace tours Overtown in conjunction with Black History Month

In advance of the 61st running of the DAYTONA 500, which will take place on Sunday, February 17, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace spent Friday in Miami learning about South Florida’s African-American history. Wallace’s visit began at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater where he met with Executive Director Timothy Barber, who led Wallace on a tour of historic Overtown.

“When you have the time to be able to do it, I would recommend doing it for everybody, just to be able to go through and hear the history,” said Wallace about his visit to Overtown. “A lot of this stuff I didn’t even know. When you go through history class in school, you hear about parts of it, but then you’re like, ‘Oh, we didn’t hear about this.’”

During his tour, Wallace stopped by a number of landmarks in the Overtown community including the Dunn & Josephine Hotel and the D.A. Dorsey house, which is the former home of Miami’s first black millionaire. Following the walking tour, Wallace had the opportunity to participate in a cooking class with graduates from the H.E.A.T. Culinary Training Program, a program which helps minorities find high-paying culinary jobs in Miami.

“It would mean that we’re for real,” Wallace said of winning the DAYTONA 500. “You solidify your name in the sport at the highest level. It’s the DAYTONA 500. It’s the Super Bowl of our season. No other sport starts with its biggest event.”

Tickets for the 61st annual DAYTONA 500 and all other Daytona International Speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news.

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