NASCAR drivers rally around Bubba Wallace after racist hate crime

Racing fans who tuned into Monday’s NASCAR race in Talladega saw a powerful show of support for fellow driver Bubba Wallace. After a racially charged hate crime directed at Wallace took place on Sunday, NASCAR drivers and their crews walked the track with Wallace, pushing his #43 car around the iconic raceway.On Sunday, NASCAR confirmed that a noose was found hanging in Wallace’s garage stall, a heavily secured area that can only be accessed by race teams, security, health and safety personnel and NASCAR officials. According to CNN, the noose was found by a member of Wallace’s team and brought to the attention of NASCAR, who alerted the Birmingham, Alabama office of the FBI for a full investigation. Wallace is currently the only Black driver in the top circuit of NASCAR.[video_embed id='1982650']RELATED: FBI investigating after noose found in Black NASCAR driver's garage[/video_embed]On Monday, a crowd made up of Wallace’s fellow drivers and their crews pushed his #43 car around the track before the race began. An emotional Wallace emerged from his car at the end of the track and embraced his fellow drivers, including NASCAR legend and team owner Richard Petty.

My family. pic.twitter.com/031TvNDopA

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 23, 2020

Before the race began, the phrase #IStandWithBubba was spray painted on the grass in the middle of the racetrack. Wallace shared a video of the moving event, captioning it “Together.”

 

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Together

A post shared by bubbawallace (@bubbawallace) on Jun 22, 2020 at 11:59am PDT

In an official statement regarding the hate crime, NASCAR said "We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act. We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport."Wallace released a statement on of his own on social media on Sunday, writing "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." Captioning the message ‘They won’t win,’ Wallace continued, writing "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.”UPDATE: After an FBI investigation into the incident, the bureau concluded: "Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime... photographic evidence confirms that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall." NASCAR added that they remain committed to creating an inclusive environment.Hours after the conclusion was reported, Wallace appeared on CNN Tonight and told anchor Don Lemon, "The image that I have and I have seen of what was hanging in my garage is not a garage pull... It was a noose. Whether tied in 2019, or whatever, it was a noose." He didn't go so far as to refute the FBI findings that there was no ill intent toward him, but he stated clearly he didn't agree the knot was innocent. On Wednesday, he followed up his remarks with a more unifying written statement.

pic.twitter.com/5noPid5zqO

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 24, 2020

Wallace has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and an advocate for banning the Confederate flag at NASCAR events. “There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something they have seen, an object they have seen flying," Wallace told CNN earlier this month after NASCAR finally made the announcement to ban the flag. "No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them."On June 7, Wallace wore a BLM shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” written on the front at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. On June 10, Wallace unveiled a BLM paint scheme on his car at the Martinsville Speedway. Through his foundation Live to be Different, Wallace has donated $10,000 to BLM.

 

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✊?

A post shared by bubbawallace (@bubbawallace) on Jun 7, 2020 at 1:58pm PDT

Although Wallace has enjoyed a successful career, including winning Rookie of the Year in 2008 and 2010 at the UARA Stars and K&N Pro Series East races, becoming the youngest driver to ever win at the Franklin County Speedway at 15 in 2008, and placing second at Daytona 500 in 2018, he has struggled to secure sponsorship deals. He is the highest finishing Black driver for the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, and the first Black driver to ever win the NASCAR Grander Outdoors Truck Series.[video_embed id='1960784']BEFORE YOU GO: Obama seems to call out Trump's COVID-19 response[/video_embed]