NASCAR confirms photo of rope fashioned as noose found in Bubba Wallace’s Talladega garage stall
NASCAR has confirmed this photo of the garage pull-down rope in the formation of a noose that was hanging Sunday in the Bubba Wallace garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway.
Photo of the garage pull rope tied like a noose from the Bubba Wallace garage Sunday: #nascar @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/IrsQ1PUbci
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 25, 2020
A Richard Petty Motorsports crewman found the noose and notified Wallace crew chief Jerry Baxter, who took a photo of the noose before it was cut down.
NASCAR called the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday, and 15 agents went to the track to talk to crew members prior to the race, which had been postponed from Sunday because of rain. The FBI announced Tuesday that the investigation determined the noose was in the stall as early as October 2019.
Full statement from FBI: #nascar @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/wJY14YDGDK
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 23, 2020
A snapshot from a video I took Oct. 14 of that garage stall shows the presence of the rope.
Went back and took a look at my camera roll on my phone and screenshot this from video … rope on the left: pic.twitter.com/Od1Z4aKaxi
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 23, 2020
Wallace is the only Black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, and concerns over his safety have increased in the last three weeks as he advocated for NASCAR to ban the Conference flag. NASCAR announced the ban June 10.
After the FBI’s announcement, Wallace tweeted a statement.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 24, 2020
The new Cup garage at Talladega Superspeedway was built in 2019. NASCAR has said that other garage pull ropes it examined Sunday night were not tied in that formation.
“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,” NASCAR said in a statement Tuesday.
“This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment. We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba.”
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 23, 2020
NASCAR President Steve Phelps, who said NASCAR would still investigate why the garage pull rope was tied like a noose, was scheduled to address media early Thursday afternoon.
Phelps said Tuesday he felt calling the FBI was justified.
“To be clear, we would do this again,” he said. “Of the evidence that we had, it was clear that we needed to look into this.”
“The No. 43 team had nothing to do with this.” NASCAR President Steve Phelps with more details on the results of the FBI’s investigation from Talladega. pic.twitter.com/msk3iGjVul
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 23, 2020
Teams don’t work in the garage much during the current COVID-19 race day format where they roll off the truck, go through tech and push the car to the grid. They only spend significant time in a garage stall if they fail tech or need to fix something during the race.
Wallace, speaking Tuesday night on CNN, said he has never seen a garage pull rope in that shape and that his crew chief, Jerry Baxter, told him it was not something that could be confused with a regular knot in a rope in the garage.
“The image that I have and I have seen of what was hanging in my garage is not a garage pull,” says NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.
“It was a noose. Whether tied in 2019, or whatever, it was a noose.” https://t.co/LpRUdKboaH pic.twitter.com/hQGreK5Ofs
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) June 24, 2020
Wood Brothers Racing had that garage stall last October.
“One of our employees alerted us yesterday morning that, without knowing the details of the incident, he recalled seeing a tied handle in the garage pull-down rope from last fall,” Wood Brothers Racing said in a statement.
“We immediately alerted NASCAR and have assisted the investigation in every way possible.”
STATEMENT ON THE COINCIDENCE OF OUR STALL FROM 2019 AND THE INVESTIGATION pic.twitter.com/SJgKus8o8T
— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) June 23, 2020
Here’s a timeline of recent events involving Wallace and NASCAR.
June 1: Wallace and NASCAR pledged to advocate for change when it comes to racism and racial inequality.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 1, 2020
June 7: At Atlanta Motor Speedway, Wallace wore a shirt that said “I Can’t Breathe,” a NASCAR official took a knee during the national anthem, and several drivers contributed to a video put together by Wallace and seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson stating that they would advocate for change.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 7, 2020
There was also a moment of silence prior to the start of the race followed by NASCAR President Steve Phelps addressing the teams about NASCAR’s commitment for change.
June 8: A day after Atlanta, Wallace appeared on CNN and called for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag.
Bubba Wallace on CNN Monday night
“My next step would be getting rid of all Confederate flags” at NASCAR events pic.twitter.com/3c76cl4h1T
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) June 9, 2020
June 10: NASCAR banned the Confederate flag:
“The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 10, 2020
That same day at Martinsville, Wallace ran a “Black Lives Matter” paint scheme in what he called the “biggest race” of his career.
“Probably the biggest race of my career.”- @BubbaWallace is ready for Martinsville with his #BlackLivesMatter No. 43 machine.#HotPass | @RPMotorsports pic.twitter.com/52PsRgqR00
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 10, 2020
June 21: Protesters with Confederate flags were outside, off of track property, at Talladega, and a plane flew by the track with the Confederate flag and the message “Defund NASCAR” prior to Sunday’s scheduled race.
The race was postponed to Monday because of rain, before NASCAR released a statement at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET about the discovery of the noose.
NASCAR statement on a noose in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace: #nascar pic.twitter.com/rhBpywQ288
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 22, 2020
June 22: With many in the NASCAR community believing the act was intentionally aimed at Wallace, drivers, crew members, and the entire garage gathered around the No. 43 30 minutes before Monday’s Geico 500.
At 2:45 p.m., they pushed the vehicle to the front of the starting grid. The video of the emotional moment quickly became the most-viewed tweet in FOX Sports history.
After a noose was found in his garage stall last night, @NASCAR drivers show their support for @BubbaWallace at Talladega. #IStandWIthBubba pic.twitter.com/uFlxmP27qa
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 22, 2020
Wallace moved into the lead with 28 laps to go before finishing 14th.
June 23: At 5:15 p.m. ET, the FBI issued its statement about the garage door pull rope that had been fashioned into a noose.
After the FBI’s investigation was concluded, the NASCAR world, including Wallace crew member Freddie Kraft, expressed its relief.
Relieved to know this was a huge misunderstanding, and there is no one in our garage area that did something like what most people originally thought happened. Doesn’t change a thing about the amazing sights we saw yesterday. Hopefully we continue to move forward from here.
— Freddie Kraft (@FreddieKraft) June 23, 2020
I’m relieved to hear this wasn’t a hate crime and I’m still so proud of how our sport came together yesterday. https://t.co/I2KzARnonx
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) June 24, 2020
June 25: NASCAR confirms the photo of the rope fashioned into a noose in the No. 4 garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway.
This is a developing story.
