NASCAR announced on Sunday night that a noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, the car-racing organizations only black driver. Wallace has been a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter, painting his car with the phrase, and pushed for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from its cars and facilities.
The noose was found at the organization’s Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
NASCAR said it is investigating, tweeting “we are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act.”
The organization said those responsible will be identified and eliminated from the sport: “There is no place for racism in NASCAR.”
Wallace released his own statement, writing, in part, “Today’s despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism. … Together our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone. Nothing is more important and we will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate. As my mother told me today, ‘They are just trying to scare you.’ This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in.”
