A few weeks ago, NASCAR officially banned Confederate flags from their races. Confederate flags have long been a part of NASCAR, where they’re flown by various racing tracks, or fans, or even some of the racing cars. NASCAR’s announcement was met pretty positively, from what I saw, with only one notable exception of a salty redneck driver saying he was “quitting” because of the decision. While it was a great move for NASCAR and for their PR, I also thought that they would have a hell of a time changing “Confederate hearts and minds,” you know? People would still bring Confederate flags to the races. And NASCAR would still be a primarily racist, redneck, Confederate-flag-waving sport.
Still, NASCAR used their only black driver, Bubba Wallace, front and center for their new, woke branding. They gave Wallace a platform to speak about Black Lives Matter and why the Confederate flag has no place in NASCAR in 2020. And now it seems like *someone* is targeting Bubba Wallace:
A noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, on Sunday, less than two weeks after Wallace, who is NASCAR’s only black driver, successfully pushed the stock car racing series to ban the Confederate flag at its tracks and facilities.
“Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team. We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) 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.”
Wallace never saw the noose, ESPN’s Marty Smith reported. It was first seen by a member of Wallace’s team, who immediately brought it to the attention of NASCAR, Smith reported. NASCAR told Fox Sports that it will work with law enforcement on the incident.
Wallace, who drives the No. 43 Chevrolet for racing icon Richard Petty, said in a statement that he was “incredibly saddened” by the act.
“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,” Wallace wrote on Twitter. “Over the last several weeks, I have been overwhelmed by the support from people across the NASCAR industry, including other drivers and team members in the garage. 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.”
If the noose was in his garage, it would suggest an inside job, right? I’m assuming that non-NASCAR-involved people wouldn’t have access to his garage to the extent where someone could hang a noose unnoticed? It would have to be someone in the NASCAR family, someone from another driver’s team, or someone in the NASCAR bureaucracy? Anyway, it’s f–king awful. I hope there’s a thorough investigation.
As for those hearts and minds… a plane flew over Talladega yesterday with a banner reading “Defund NASCAR” and a Confederate flag. These people are complete and total idiots.
'Defund NASCAR' banner with Confederate flag flies over Talladega https://t.co/vuryLHUXPT pic.twitter.com/CTd63QftxF
— New York Post (@nypost) June 21, 2020
Photos courtesy of Getty.
They did this to my Bubba?!!!!!!!
TRASH.
I can’t.
I KNOW. I love Bubba. Why people messing with My Number 43??
You watch NASCAR? Rubes!
Way to reinforce that white trash hillbilly stereotype NASCAR’s enjoyed for so long.
yup. for all those liars/excuse makers “it’s about southern pride/heritage!”…NO, IT’S NOT, and this makes it clear what it IS, in fact, about.
intimidation of black people, reminding them of their “place”.
surely there are security cameras all over that place. they should easily be able to find out who did it.
Let me reiterate what I always say in response to this southern pride/heritage garbage- the confederacy was a failed separatist movement. Find me another country that allows people to build and maintain a bunch of monuments in honor of *a failed separatist movement* on the sovereign territory of that country. The confederacy lost. They fought. They lost. That’s it. No glorifying traitors.
yes, the “heritage” is that of traitorous losers.
sure, take “pride” in that.
Wow. And that plane. This all just makes me shiver.
I know, right? I was listening to a podcast about racism and the talked about how the only way it can possibly be overcome is if the South leads the way. I can’t imagine that happening anytime soon.
Given the number of Confederate flags being flown in the North, putting this all on the South is unfair. That said, s lot of Southerners, like me, consider Alabama completely irredeemable.
MIch, I don’t disagree. Plenty of racists everywhere. But this is the conclusion of two Black scholars who have spent decades studying people and history, I’m in no position to argue with them or to know how the South leading the way would even look like.
Dear Confederacy,
You lost
Signed,
Everyone who reads
On paper they did., but they’ve sure gotten their agenda passed over the years more than their loser status would suggest. I give you the current occupant at the White House.
After the civil war the south was set back 30 plus years from the rest of the country. Bad education, deep poverty and class. They were essentially let go even though they weren’t allowed to actually separate….but systematically they separated. generations later they are paying for the sins of their fathers but Republicans have convinced them, it isn’t their fault and the fault of minorities and liberals. They have never took responsibility for the war implementing recent racist laws after the war and up till very recently institutionalized racism (Jim crow, segregation, etc). They will remain behind the rest of America and backwards until they accept responsibility for deep Institutionalized racism up until very recent times. My grandparents lived under Jim crows laws and my mother was the first to be born who was allowed to registered when she was 21. My mother. That is how recent southern state governments in the south got away with placing racism in their actual laws. As a result the region has never healed, like most war zones and nations who mistreat large segments of their society. Unfortunately there are some good people trapped in the region without hope of change or actually getting out. They can’t move on because they are paying for their years of embedded deep racism and it has become a time loop of their many bad choices.
Welp. Time for Nascar to fund a huge investigation into this.
I mean, most common sense direction to look would be at the fired truck series guys team. I’m sure there’s a lot of people who are pretty salty about that one.
I’m hoping the place is covered by security cameras. It’s an absurd risk for anyone to take. Risking losing your job, being arrested/serving time, being outed as a total turd-burger to the entire planet…
Does. Not. Compute.
Are you sure they would lose their jobs or get arrested? Rogue cops are still out there not being penalized. Trump is still President and he’s even been accused of child molest.
Alexandria- No, I’m not 100% sure unfortunately. That’s what SHOULD happen and it’s what they are risking. The perp definitely didn’t run a cost/benefit analysis in their head before carrying out this disgusting act.
Benefit (in their mind): Intimidate Bubba
Cost: Maybe lose everything.
Analysis: DON’T DO IT!!!
Kumquat, that’s what I was thinking about security cameras. there’s enough shenanigans that take place amongst those teams with checking out other people’s cars etc that I would imagine MOST teams would have security cameras in place.
That’s pretty blatent – someone wants him to feel afraid.
My guess is there will soon be rumours that he must have “planted” it himself to get sympathy or attention, in the same way there are people who claim that school shootings (or viruses) are hoaxes.
Just changing the rules won’t change the underlying culture of racism. Let’s see if NASCAR means what they say.
I was just thinking that myself. I hope they don’t try to twist this into a Jussie Smullet-type setup in an attempt to discredit him. Unfortunately I’m not surprised that something like this happened, I just hope it doesn’t happen on the track.
He doesn’t seem to the Jussie type.
Of course there will be, and something tells me Don Junior will be leading that charge, it’s right in his wheelhouse.
I was glad to read that Wallace didn’t see it — they seem cognizant of trying to get ahead of the same allegations.
It’s already started. I saw tweets last night from ppl saying it had to have been Bubba or someone on his team, so he could get more attention and sympathy from “liberals”. These ppl are delusional and sick.
There are nooses being found in parks in Oakland. Black men across the country have been found hanging in trees, two in California. I read that the family of one of the men now believes that it was a suicide (he was 37 and homeless). The other family of the young man hung in front of Palmdale City Hall is sure that it was not. Suddenly there are “suicides” of Black men hanging from trees since the BLM protests took hold.
Dylan Roof was trying to start a race war so that groups he supported could openly kill Black people. The groups activate online and listen carefully to Trump. David Duke was born in Tulsa.
Racists who hang noises want to shoot people on the street. They feel like NASCAR is theirs, but the noose is meant to send a larger message, to make a bunch of people attack on Bubba’s behalf so that they can pull out all of those guns and kill without repercussion, like the men who recorded themselves murdering Ahmaud Arbery who had to have thought that people would see the video and understand that they were just protecting their property and families. They can’t challenge us openly like they did prior to the civil rights movement without getting arrested like Roof and Arbery’s killers were, so they keep trying to bait us into a race war, but they are the only ones who want a race war. We want to live in peace.
I hope to God that is not the case, because if it does turn out that way, we will NEVER hear the end of it. The Republicans will run it into the ground, build it back up and ride it some more. Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson will mess themselves on air. It will be like Christmas for them.
The Nascar president just held a conference call and stated that very few people have access to the area and it is well contained, secure and monitored, so they expect they will figure this out quickly.
Now let’s hope it doesn’t turn out the way the Trumpers are hoping.
The rumors are already rampant that he planted it himself and comparing him to Jussie. Every news article I’ve seen has the vast majority of commentators saying it has to be fake.
I have seen Bubba’s press conferences and I have a hard time believing he is personally that dumb – that he’d jeopardize all his activism for a stunt. My fear is that it turns out to be somebody associated with him – a crew member, perhaps. Because people are not going to make the distinction between Bubba himself and the people around him. They will use it to run him out of the business.
Again, I really, really hope that is not the case.
NASCAR is closed to all fans still, so it was 100% an inside job. No one could get in where the noose was found without certain credentials.
Classic racist. A black person speaks up and they immediately go into intimidation mode to shut them up. I hope Bubba is alright and they find out who did this. I’m not surprised this has happened though. Seems very on brand for NASCAR.
I believe each track has its own staff that isn’t affiliated with NASCAR. I believe tracks are used for other events throughout the year. I hope they find out who did this pretty quickly.
I can’t imagine there aren’t security cameras everywhere in Nascar garages. Hopefully they find this guy(s) quickly and they are promptly dealt with.
My prediction is that it was planted by someone who will loudly insist that they’re not racist. Come on guys, they’re just messing around! How come the only black guy in a largely Southern good-ol’-boy sport can’t laugh at the hilaaaarious lynching joke they’re making at a time of heightened fear due to a complete disregard for PoC lives? The word “uppity” will come into play…
A Great Man!
You’re correct in regard to “Confederate hearts and minds”. I was born and raised in rural Mississippi. My memory of the confederate flag is waving it as a child to cheer on the Ole Miss football team. We did it at every game. We waved the flags to celebrate big plays and touchdowns, and when the band played Battle Hymn Of The Republic or Dixie. The stadium was full of flags. As a child, the visual effect was stunning, and it was fun to wave something around. These positive connotations made the flag and songs my favorite game day traditions, and I remember feeling a sense of sadness when they banned the flags from the stadium (I was 11).
I write this because my family is very proud to have put all our flag-related Ole Miss memorabilia in the trash shortly after the school’s ban. Our selfish view of the flag gave way to the voices of the oppressed. Once the flag was banned from the stadium, it became easier to see what the flag ultimately represented: a way of life which relied on the enslavement of our brothers and sisters.
The NASCAR ban is a very big deal. It will help many, especially youth, understand the flag has no place outside a museum. It will take time, and often the first emotion is selfish anger, but it will spur change, and we have a lot left to do.
Cindy, thank you for sharing your family’s story. When the civil war ended, the confederates revised the narrative that they fought for state’s rights, but the reality, as you pointed out, was about slavery. The south stood to lose millions and millions of dollars in value if slaves were freed. But the confederate supporters of today promote the lie. Some do it to save face for their ancestors. Others know and still believe that Black people are lessors who deserve subjugation.
Thanks for reading it!
The flag ban at Ole Miss happened back in 1997. However, I still cried when the band had to play “From Dixie With Love” for the last time in 2009. Change is hard when you’ve personally identified with something for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully, the self pity was shallow and short lived. New traditions can’t happen until we dismantle the old ones.
God people can be so awful. Am I supposed to be sad that people who use nooses to intimidate black people might not feel welcome in the modern world? Too bad! I was reading comments by crybabies upset that their hate flag isn’t welcome anymore. One idiot said “ no more NFL and no more NASCAR I will have to watch dirt bikes now.” Bye Dummy
NASCAR is taking this seriously. The only people with access to this area are drivers, crew, and officials. So it was an inside job, and whoever did it will be banned for life. Rightfully so. I feel for Bubba. It takes a lot to be in an industry which is predominately white. I’m sure he’s put up with a lot of microaggressions and blatant racism throughout his career, but he’s stuck with it.
It would be anyone with a “hot pass.” These are limited but generally include press, drivers, pit crews, owners, and VIP guests. If this were a normal race with fans, it is possible to buy hot passes, but they are stupidly expensive ($2000+.) I am not sure how press are being limited due to COVID.
If it is a guest, I hope NASCAR punished who gave them the pass.
There should be cameras, right?
This made me cry! What a great thing to do to support https://twitter.com/dougjones/status/1275163479503261701?s=21
The thing is, he drives for Richard Petty, who has enough clout and enough of a following to make sure that this doesn’t slide, and I saw an article that Richard Petty is PISSED.
But seriously, white people: as one of you, why is it so hard for you to not be assholes? Why are “other” people such a threat to you personally? Just don’t be an asshole!
Horrific.