Bubba Wallace was overcome with emotion before the start of Monday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, as his fellow drivers and their teams came together for a powerful show of support for him.
NASCAR confirmed on Sunday that an investigation is underway after a noose was found hanging in the garage stall belonging to Wallace and his No. 43 race team. Sunday’s Geico 500 was postponed to Monday due to inclement weather, and Wallace’s peers decided to stand behind the 26-year-old driver — literally. Wallace fought back tears after his fellow drivers and their teams pushed his car down pit road in an emotional display.
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
Here’s another angle of the swarm of drivers and their teams:
No words pic.twitter.com/ZorYccEjFo
— Steve O'Donnell (@odsteve) June 22, 2020
Wallace captured a photo of the scene after he climbed out of his No. 43 car.
Together pic.twitter.com/D4zW3jA5y5
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 22, 2020
Racing legend Richard Petty, who owns the race team that Wallace drives for, also showed support for Wallace by traveling to Talladega on Monday to be beside Wallace. Petty released a statement prior to the race saying he was “enraged” by the act the day prior.
— Richard Petty Motorsports (@RPMotorsports) June 22, 2020
Wallace is the only full-time black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. NASCAR recently banned Confederate flags from races, which was something Wallace had been calling for. A plane flew over Talladega on Sunday dragging a banner with a Confederate flag and a message that said “defund NASCAR.”
Wallace, 26, has six top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career.
