NASCAR: Investigating a Noose Found in Bubba Wallace’s Garage
From the New York Times: “NASCAR said it was investigating after the noose was found at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The Justice Department and the F.B.I. were also reviewing the matter.” Wallace is the only black driver in its top racing series.
Just days after Darrell Wallace, Jr., or “Bubba,” wore a “Black Lives Matter” message on a shirt, and celebrated the organization’s banning of the Confederate battle flag, a noose was found. Officials said it happened Sunday, in his garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Wallace posted on social media: “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.”
He had called for the Confederate battle flag to be banned, and said that he had received support from people across the racing industry in recent weeks. Wallace noted that the sport had made a commitment to “championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone.”
NASCAR has released a statement to announce that it has opened an investigation. “We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act.” The FBI and the Justice Department are investigating, as well.