As the U.S. is now grappling with rectifying its racist past federal authorities recently confirmed they are investigating the discovery of a noose found in the Talladega Superspeedway garage stall of Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black full-time driver who successfully pushed the stock car series to ban the Confederate flag at its venues earlier this month.
The 26-year-old Wallace has not commented since a statement on social media late Sunday in which he said the “the 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.”
Wallace has worn a shirt that says “I Can’t Breathe” over his fire suit and his No. 43 – made famous by Hall of Famer Richard Petty – sported a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in a race last month in Martinsville, Virginia.
Wallace has said NASCAR assigned him two sheriff’s deputies for security at Martinsville after he called for the ban.
Wallace said he has found support among fellow drivers for his stance on the flag.
