Respect Equality

FBI joins investigation of noose found in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s garage

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Story at a glance

  • Bubba Wallace has been outspoken in recent weeks in his support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
  • NASCAR has backed up Wallace, especially after a recent incident where a noose was found in his garage stall.
  • The FBI is now investigating the incident in Alabama.

Federal authorities are investigating a noose that was found in the garage stall of the first full-time Black driver in NASCAR on Sunday. 

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town said his office is working with the Northern District of Alabama, FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to determine whether any federal laws were violated. The noose was found in the garage stall of Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The track is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation, founded by NASCAR’s Bill France Sr. 


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“Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society,” Town said in the statement. 

NASCAR condemned the incident on June 21, saying in a statement “[We] will do everything we can to identify the person responsible and eliminate them from the sport. As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR, and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all.”


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The racing company has publicly supported Wallace in recent weeks, releasing a statement on the Black Lives Matter movement in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. NASCAR also banned the Confederate flag from all of its properties and future events on June 10. 

Wallace and his team had unveiled a new design for his car with “Black Lives Matter” emblazoned across the side and “Compassion, Love, Understand” written on the hood. A race on Sunday was postponed by rain, but not before upset fans with Confederate flags drove by the main entrance to the track, according to the Associated Press (AP), and a plane flew above the track with a banner that read “Defund Nascar.”


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