Nascar racer Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime, the FBI has determined after an investigation of the placement of what appeared to be a noose in his garage at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway.
“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. This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment,” Nascar said in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing.”
Discovery of what was purported to be a noose came less than a month after Nascar said it would ban the Confederate flag at its events in the wake of protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd while in custody of the Minneapolis police. Wallace had called for the flag to be barred from Nascar events just days prior to the racing league’s decision to do so. Nascar said appearance of the flag was “contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.
In a call with reporters yesterday, Steve Phelps, president of Nascar, dismissed social-media speculation that the rope might have been placed in Wallace’s garage to generate attention. “Such an idea is “something that personally offends me. This is a terrible, terrible act that has happened,” he said. The executive had said anyone who was discovered to have placed a noose in the garage to threaten or frighten Wallace would be banned from the sport for life.
More to come…