Watch as NASCAR drivers, crew stand behind Bubba Wallace in powerful show of unity
UPDATE: On Tuesday, the FBI and NASCAR concluded their investigation and released a statement saying that the noose that was found in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall had been there since October 2019 and it was not a hate crime, McClatchy reported.
“The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall,” NASCAR’s statement read. “This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment.”
Original story:
In a powerful video, NASCAR united behind Bubba Wallace and his No. 43 Chevrolet car ahead of the rescheduled GEICO 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway.
At 3:05, the entire NASCAR garage, including all 40 drivers and team crew members, pushed Wallace’s car to the front of the grid, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Early Monday, a noose was found in Wallace’s team’s car garage stall. Wallace, who is the only Black driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, released a statement about the incident 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 said.
The message #IStandWithBubba was painted on the infield grass at the Superspeedway.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Watch as NASCAR drivers, crew stand behind Bubba Wallace in powerful show of unity."