NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace has a King-size decision to make

The whole thing began when Petty playfully signed Wallace’s left forearm, up near the elbow, with a silver Sharpie.

There are few autographs in sports  — none, maybe? — more famous and artistic than NASCAR legend Richard Petty’s. It’s full of swirls and swoops and curlicues and zigs and zags and seems to go on and on and on. When the King is going full-out, it might take him a full 10 seconds to do it exactly right.

So, who was Bubba Wallace to back down from a challenge involving his team owner’s famous signature? Early this week, at a joint appearance, Wallace publicly said he’d turn a basic Petty autograph into a tattoo if 43,000 people retweeted his promise. The whole thing began when Petty playfully signed Wallace’s left forearm, up near the elbow, with a silver Sharpie.

Saturday, at Pocono Raceway, scene of Sunday afternoon’s Gander RV 400, Wallace addressed what has become a social media uproar. “I knew we wouldn’t reach 43,000 retweets in one day, which I was right,” he said while the Richard Petty Motorsports crew changed engines in his No. 43 Chevrolet. “It was 38,000, I believe. But (at the time Tuesday night) I didn’t put a timeline on it. I did (invoke the timeline technicality) up here, and I said it didn’t happen. Then everyone said I was backing out.”

 

Minding my bidness and The King comes in with a surprise signature attack!

43000 RTs and I'll get it tattooed. pic.twitter.com/fpcvlRbeti

It might be that Wallace thought better of it, or maybe someone up the chain of command suggested that it wouldn’t look good to walk back a public promise involving your beloved boss. So apparently, he’ll get the autograph — or one just like it; the original has faded — turned into a tattoo. But Wallace is certain it won’t be anywhere visible under normal circumstances.

“I’m not getting it on my arm like it was,” he said, laughing at the thought. “I’m not that stupid. It’s a beautiful signature in all, but I’m not that heavily invested in having it take up my whole forearm. We’ll get it somewhere small. I don’t know where I’m going to get it … left cheek, right cheek, I’m not sure yet.”

He answered, “Oh, no” when asked whether he was already tired of all the tattoo talk that’s gone on since Tuesday. “After all,” he added, “I brought it on myself.”

 

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