Bubba Wallace visits Leidos Global Headquarters
Photo: Jay Townsend
NASCAR star Bubba Wallace visited Leidos Global Headquarters in Reston, Virginia last week to meet with employees and promote the partnership’s recent success.
Why you should know: The partnership between Leidos and NASCAR has made headlines since the company unveiled a prototype of its Lunar Terrain Vehicle at last month’s National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.
The vehicle, a collaboration between NASCAR and the Leidos Dynetics Group in Huntsville, Alabama, will compete to become a central part of NASA’s Artemis missions to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
Wallace had the opportunity to sit in its drivers’ seat prior to a recent NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
- “Being here at Leidos headquarters takes me back to last weekend when I got to see the lunar rover up close,” Wallace said. “It made me proud to see how far it’s come, to sit in it and learn about the mission behind it.”
Background: Since the start of the 2022 racing season, Leidos has been a primary sponsor of Wallace and his racing team, 23XI Racing, which is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin.
Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top division, is helping transform its culture into one that better reflects the diversity in America.
In 2021, he became the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since Wendell Scott in 1963 when Wallace placed first at the YellaWood 500 at Talladega.
Originally formed to promote diversity and inclusion, the partnership has grown to include technology solutions including a cutting-edge mobile communications cart designed by Leidos to help boost productivity among Wallace’s pit crew.
Looking ahead: Wallace said the meet-and-greet event made him even more excited for the future of the partnership.
- “With a company like Leidos, I don’t think there’s a barrier we can’t break through,” he said. “We’ve proven that together we can accomplish whatever task we have on our mind. Whether it’s engineering new technology for our racing team to rely on to get quicker and better data, or promoting diversity and inclusion in our communities, I think the sky is the limit, and I’m excited to continue to push the limit in every way possible.”
Wallace said his favorite part of the partnership so far has been the people he’s met.
- “To me, the partnership with Leidos isn’t just the name on the race car or the Leidos brand on my fire suit,” he said. “Leidos actually feels like family, and that’s important to me because of the core values I carry. Aside from the cool things we’re accomplishing with technology, I value the relationships the most, and nothing can beat that.”
Please contact the Leidos media relations team for more information.
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