According to ESPN NASCAR reporter Marty Smith, A noose was found hanging in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s garage stall. For those who may not be familiar- Bubba Wallace is the NASCAR driver who wore an I can’t breathe shirt and painted #BlackLivesMatter on his car.
NASCAR statement: A noose was found in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall today at Talladega. NASCAR is investigating. pic.twitter.com/dGYFYryVES
According to Smith, NASCAR is aware of the incident and is currently investigating the matter. Wallace, a black man, was not present at the time the noose was found in the garage at the Talladega Speedway. It was found by one of his team members and immediately reported to NASCAR. They are currently looking at surveillance video and taking other intel to gather more information surrounding the events & potential hate-crime. Considering that Bubba Wallace is a black man that has been outspoken about Black lives matter in the wake of the killings of: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, & Rayshard Brooks it is very likely that a hate crime investigation can be opened through the FBI as well.
A predominantly white sport with a predominantly white audience, there were quite a few fans that were displeased with Bubba Wallace’s urging of NASCAR to ban confederate flags. Wallace is the only black driver in the top level of NASCAR. Another, possibly related, incident occurred there as well with the flying of a huge confederate flag over the field. Clearly somebody(s) with some money and some time did this. “Defund NASCAR” is an allusion to the Defund the Police push that has surged significantly since the uprisings around the country.
This story is developing and will be updated as soon as possible.
Bubba Wallace
This story is developing and will be updated as soon as possible.
