NASCAR investigation underway after noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage stall at Talladega
NASCAR said late Sunday night that a noose was found in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega and said it had launched an investigation to find out who put it there.
Wallace is the only Black driver who races full-time in NASCAR’s top three series and has been outspoken about racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s killing on May 25. Wallace was a strong advocate for NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its properties on June 10 and Sunday’s postponed race is the first race in the state of Alabama since the flag ban.
Bubba’s reply on Twitter:
“Today’s despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism,” Wallace wrote on Twitter. “Over the last several weeks I have been overwhelmed by the support from people across the NASCAR industry including other drivers and team members in the garage. Together our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone. Nothing is more important and we will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate. As my mother told me today, ‘They are just trying to scare you.’ This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in.”
The FBI has determined that NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime and that a pull rope fashioned like a noose had been on a garage door at Talladega Superspeedway since as early as October, NASCAR said Tuesday.
