NASCAR officials said “the noose was real” as they revealed the first photo of the rope found in black driver Bubba Wallace’s garage.
Key points:
- First released image of rope in Bubba Wallace’s pit proves ‘noose was real,’ NASCAR says
- NASCAR declares investigation into incident closed
- Extra security will be present at Wallace’s next race in Pennsylvania
The incident prompted a federal investigation into whether he was the target of a hate crime and brought racism to the forefront of the stock car series that took place two weeks ago. banned the Confederate flag from its venues and races at Wallace’s request.
It also sparked criticism from some fans that NASCAR had overreacted — criticism that NASCAR bristled at and cited in releasing the photo from Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, which had been taken by NASCAR security.
“As you can see in the photo, the noose was real, and so was our concern for Bubba,” said NASCAR President Steve Phelps.
“Based on the evidence we had, we believed that one of our drivers had been threatened, a driver who had been extremely brave in his recent words and actions.
“It is our responsibility to respond and investigate, and that is exactly what we did.”
NASCAR has been rocked by racial tensions since it banned the Confederate flag. Angry fans waved the flag last weekend outside Talladega and the flags that once flew openly around the infield were still for sale across the street.
A small plane flew over the track pulling a Confederate flag banner that read “Defund NASCAR.”
NASCAR drivers and crews were at Bubba Wallace’s side before last weekend’s race at Talladega. (Twitter: Bubba Wallace)
NASCAR asked officials at each track to check their garages this week. Of 1,684 garage stalls spread across 29 lanes, only 11 had a garage door pull rope knotted, Phelps said, and the only one shaped like a noose was the one discovered Sunday by a crew member in Wallace’s stall number 43.
Earlier this week, authorities said the rope had been hanging there since the Cup Series race last October and therefore did not constitute a hate crime targeting the 26-year-old Wallace..
U.S. Attorney Jay Town and FBI Special Agent Johnnie Sharp Jr. said “no one could have known that Mr. Wallace would be assigned” to that same booth.
Phelps said NASCAR determined the noose was not in place when the October 2019 race weekend began, but was created at some point during that weekend.
“Given this timing and the garage access policies and procedures at the time, we unfortunately were unable to determine with certainty who tied this rope in this manner or why this was done,” he said.
The Wood Brothers Racing team was in the same pit during the October race and cooperated with the investigation. One employee recalled “seeing a handle attached in the garage pulling on a rope last fall.”
Wallace supported the Black Lives Matter movement and rallied for the Confederate flag to be removed from NASCAR events. (AP: Brynn Anderson)
“We couldn’t determine if it was a member of their team or someone else,” Phelps said.
“We have no idea what the intent was, whether there was any malice or whether it was just a noose for a pulley. We don’t know.”
NASCAR’s investigation is complete, Phelps said, and cameras will be added to garages in the future. NASCAR will also require industry members to complete sensitivity and unconscious bias training.
NASCAR is heading to Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania this weekend and will increase security around Wallace, who has received death threats and been accused of perpetrating a hoax.
“We have to keep Bubba safe. We have to keep someone in our family safe,” Phelps said.
P.A.
