Lifelong University of Tennessee sports fan Bubba Wallace received a tremendous honor Wednesday, March 5 when the NASCAR Cup Series superstar threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Vols home game with Xavier University.
Wallace was in Knoxville participating in a Bristol Motor Speedway led media tour, talking about the great start to his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and helping to promote the tradition-rich Food City 500, coming to the iconic Northeast Tennessee short track, April 11-13.
Wallace, whose mother ran track and field at Tennessee in her collegiate days, has been a fan of the Big Orange for as long as he can remember. Throwing out the first pitch at a game for a Vols team that is defending the College World Series title is definitely on his bucket list.
“Always love coming to Knoxville, I have family in town,” Wallace said. “My cousin and my uncle have had season tickets since I was born. I remember being a kid and coming here a lot when my Saturdays and Sundays were a little bit more open and free. Now I can barely get to a game, maybe one a year. But man, I’ve always bled orange.”
Wallace tipped his cap to the crowd and stepped up on the mound for his first pitch attempt. He took a deep breath and delivered a strike right across the center of home plate. He did a quick fist-pump afterward and then posed for a photo with Vol assistant coach Kirby Connell, who caught the pitch and is one of the biggest NASCAR fans on the team.
“I’m still sore, but that was a solid throw,” Wallace said with a big smile. “I will take that. Thank you. I thought I overdid it. Maybe threw a little bit too hard in the practice facility warming up. I’m still rubbing my shoulder a little bit.”
Wallace then entered the Vols dugout and met with head coach Tony Vitello and many of the players, including outfielder Colby Backus from Johnson City. The Vols defeated Xavier 13-1 on a chilly night at Lindsay Nelson Stadium.
“Finally, getting to meet Coach (Tony) Vitello, that was really big,” Wallace said. “My family was actually at the (College World Series) game in Omaha last year to see that that happened. Our (NASCAR) schedule was a little bit busy to allow me to enjoy that kind of thing. But all in all, it’s good to be a Tennessee Vol.”
Wallace, who currently sits sixth in the Cup Series standings after a strong opening in his No. 23 XI Racing Toyota, will return to Eastern Tennessee for the Food City 500 on April 13 with a focus on improving from his last visit to the high-banked concrete half-mile. Wallace posted a third-place effort this past September in the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
“I love racing at Bristol,” Wallace said. “Ever since I started going there in 2009, Bristol has been good to us. Showing up with speed is the biggest part of it. Having speed that makes your days somewhat easier, because Sundays are not easy at all. Looking at what we did at the Night Race in the fall, finishing third on podium was big. We just have to keep it up. You are not guaranteed to get the same result when you go back, so you have to keep putting in the work.”
The highly-anticipated weekend opens with the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race, a 250-lap race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series under the lights on Friday, April 11 (7:30 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio), and continues Saturday afternoon on April 12 with the SciAps 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race (5 p.m., The CW, PRN Radio) and then culminates Sunday afternoon with the historic Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race (April 13, 3 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio).
In addition to cheering on their favorite drivers on the track, Bristol Motor Speedway fans will definitely want to take advantage of so many activities to make a complete weekend of family fun. There will be great video entertainment provided by Colossus TV, the world's largest center-hung video screen, premium VIP experiences, tailgating, on-site camping, concerts and other entertainment at the Food City Fan Zone Stage headlined by Trackside Live with Kenny Wallace and John Roberts, great food and beverages in the concession stands throughout the property, and so much more.
To purchase tickets for the Food City 500 or any of the BMS NASCAR events in 2025, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS ticket sales center at (866) 415-4158.
