Darrell Wallace Sr (born 1965; Age: 59 years old) is an American entrepreneur who is famous as the father of Bubba Wallace, the iconic African-American NASCAR race driver.
Wallace Sr., who is white, had Bubba Wallace with his African American wife, Desiree, in 1993. He was a hands-on dad from the get-go and included his son in various fun activities that he undertook. One of them was go-karting, and when he found out that Bubba was a natural at it, he supported him wholeheartedly.
Wallace Sr. took his son to various cities to compete in different races. He also financed his budding career with $250,000 each year. Thankfully, all the efforts have not been in vain as Bubba has gone on to make history in NASCAR Racing. Darrell Wallace Sr. is now a proud dad and continues to support his son’s career.
Summary of Darrell Wallace Sr.’s Biography
- Full name: Darrell William Wallace Sr.
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 1965
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Age: 59 Years Old
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s ex-Wife: Desiree
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Children: Bubba Wallace and Brittany Gillespie (Stepdaughter)
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 10
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Height in Centimetres: 175
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Weight: 70 kg
- Darrell Wallace Sr’s Net worth: $1 million
- Famous for: Bubba Wallace’s Father
- Twitter: @darrwall
Darrell Wallace Sr. Has American Nationality and White Ethnicity
It is hard to come by specific details about Darrell’s early life and background. His exact place of birth is not known and the same goes for his family background and educational qualifications. It is, however, known that he was born in the year 1965 and that he comes from the American south and has American nationality. His ethnicity is Caucasian.
Darrell Wallace Sr. grew up in various places in the American south and most likely completed a high school diploma in the early 80s before joining the workforce to earn a living for himself.
He Is A Businessman and Owns an Industrial Cleaning Company Known as Wallace Inc.
Darrell Wallace Sr. is a businessman who owns an industrial cleaning company but he didn’t achieve this overnight. Upon leaving school in the early 80s, He first found work with a well-known industrial cleaning company known as PSC. This was in 1985, and he spent the next 12 years in their sales division during which he gained experience and proved himself useful.
From March 1999 to December 1999, Darrell worked in sales for another industrial services company named Thompson Industrial Services LLC. He once more distinguished himself but later left to concentrate on his own company.
He founded Wallace Industrial Inc. in 1999 and the company remains in business to date. They specialize in the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste and their services include tank cleaning, vacuum truck services, waste disposal, recycling, etc.
The company has done quite well and Darrell now has a net worth that runs into a million dollars. With this, he was able to sponsor his son’s passion for racing and often shelled out as much as $250,000 per annum in the early days.
Darrell Wallace Sr. Was Previously Married to Desiree Wallace
Darrell Wallace Sr. was previously married to an African-American lady named Desiree. She is a social worker who ran track at the University of Tennessee. At the time that he met her, sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, she was a single mom with a little daughter. Nevertheless, he was undeterred by this and also their racial differences.
They started dating and went on to get married. They then went on to welcome their only child together, a son named Bubba Wallace, in 1993. Wallace Sr. and his wife, son, and stepdaughter spent some years living in Mobile, Alabama, before they relocated permanently to the town of Concord in North Carolina.
Darrell Wallace Divorced Desiree in 2016 and is Now Likely Single
Darrell Wallace Sr.’s marriage to Desiree lasted for more than two decades but the couple later experienced some serious issues. They split in 2016 and divorced shortly after.
There is nothing to indicate that Darrell Wallace Sr. is remarried though it is quite possible that he has been involved in other romantic relationships. There is also nothing to indicate that he has had other children. The only child that he is known to have is Bubba Wallace. He also has a stepdaughter named Brittany Gillespie from his marriage to Desiree.
Darrell Wallace Sr. Introduced His Son to Racing and Funded His Early Career
Darrell Wallace Sr. was never a NASCAR driver but he, nevertheless, introduced his son to racing. As the story goes, Wallace Sr. was a big fan of Harley Davidson motorcycles. On one occasion, he took Bubba along to meet a guy who sold a bike to him. The man told him to check out go-karting as this was something he and his son could be interested in.
Darrell Wallace Sr. took the advice and as fate would have it, Bubba Wallace not only loved go-karting but was naturally good at it. He, therefore, supported his son. He traveled with him to various cities for competitive races. He also personally funded his son’s ambitions.
This was quite expensive but he was rewarded when his son went on to excel in the sport and win many races. Bubba eventually made it into NASCAR against all odds and in 2010 he was named NASCAR K&N Rookie of the Year. He was aged 17 when he achieved this feat.
He Remains Supportive of His Son Till Date and Has Defended Him From Critics
Darrell Wallace Sr. has remained supportive of his son as the boy has grown to be a trailblazing NASCAR race driver. This doesn’t come as a surprise given their early days. When Bubba was still a young boy in racing, he experienced several racial slurs and disqualifications but Wallace Sr. taught him that the best way to respond was to win. Win he did and Wallace Sr. remains his biggest fan to date. He often retweets his achievement on Twitter.
He also supported him during the noose gate controversy of June 2021. Bubba had discovered a noose in his garage stall during a NASCAR race and described it as a deliberate hate incident. His fellow racers supported him but an FBI investigation concluded that it wasn’t deliberate. Bubba faced criticisms from many including former President Donald Trump but his father defended him both with tweets as well as in media interviews.
Darrell Fell Out With His Son in 2016 But They Are Now Reconciling
The relationship between Darrell and his famous son has not been perfect though. For instance, around 2016, Wallace Sr. and Desiree experienced a serious fracture in their relationship and fought a couple of times. Bubba was none too happy with this and confronted his father. The physical altercation dented their relationship for several months and even years.
Though Wallace Sr. continued to support his son publicly, they didn’t really speak in private. His son texted him a couple of times but his response to each text was “time will heal”. He also did not participate in his son’s Netflix documentary, which came out in 2022. The documentary, however, touched on the issue and after it aired, he reached out to his son. They are now working to reconcile though it remains a work in progress.
