Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. has spoken to multiple outlets about what he has gone through this week, when a noose found in his garage at Talldega turns out to be have been there since at least October 2019, per the FBI. NASCAR vowed to continue its investigation over the matter.
“From the evidence that we have, and that I have,” Wallace told CNN’s Don Lemon, “it’s a straight-up noose.”
After the last 72 hours, Wallace had more to say. He put out a statement on social media reflecting on the events and what he’s gone through. Here’s what he wrote on Instagram and Twitter:
“Make no mistake, though some ill try, this should not detract from the show of unity we had on Monday, and the progress we’ve made as a sport to be more welcoming environment for all.”
That’s really a huge takeaway here. As my colleague Michelle Martinelli wrote, it wasn’t a hoax or staged, and Wallace doesn’t deserve any blame. One important aspect here is we saw the sport’s reaction with a show of unity when drivers and their teams pushed Wallace’s car to the front of the GEICO 500 field, and that’s a big moment that will continue to help NASCAR make more steps in the right direction.
