Why racers are standing behind NASCAR's only Black driver
Bubba Wallace steered the No. 43 to the front of pit road, NASCAR champion Kyle Busch pushing the famous car on one side and close friend Ryan Blaney pushing on the other.
The entire 40-driver field and their crew members followed. After the car came to a stop, Mr. Wallace climbed out, sat on the window ledge and sobbed. Richard Petty, his Hall of Fame team owner, gently placed a hand on Mr.聽Wallace's shoulder.
As federal authorities descended on Talladega Superspeedway on Monday to investigate the discovery of a noose in Mr.聽Wallace's garage stall,聽the entire industry rallied around the Cup Series' only Black driver.
鈥淭he news has disturbed us all and of course we want justice and [to] know who and why,鈥� said seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. 鈥淎nd we want to stand with our friend.鈥�
Mr.聽Petty, at his first race since the coronavirus pandemic began and at Talladega on race day for the first time in more than 10 years, stood side by side with Mr.聽Wallace during the national anthem before Monday's rain-postponed event. Everyone stood behind the car while Brad Keselowski held the American flag at the front of the display of solidarity.
The idea to stand with Mr.聽Wallace started with Mr.聽Johnson, while聽former series champion Kevin Harvick suggested they all push the car聽to the front of the grid, Mr.聽Wallace said.
One by one, after the anthem, they hugged Mr.聽Wallace. He then had a long embrace with Mr.聽Petty.
And then he went racing.
If not for a shortage of fuel, Mr.聽Wallace might have had a chance to race for the win. A late stop for gas led to a 14th-place finish but felt like a win for Mr.聽Wallace. He went to the fence and slapped hands through the wiring with a group of fans, many wearing 鈥淚 Can't Breathe鈥� shirts as they cheered.
He apologized for not wearing a mandatory mask but didn't put it on because 鈥淚 wanted to show whoever it was, you are not going to take away my smile.鈥�
鈥淭his sport is changing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I鈥檝e ever had to witness in my life. From all the supporters, from drivers to crew members, everybody here ... thank you guys for coming out. This is truly incredible and I鈥檓 glad to be a part of this sport.鈥�
It was Mr. Wallace who successfully pushed the stock car series to ban the Confederate flag at its venues less than two weeks ago and he was the target when the noose was found hanging in the Richard Petty Motorsports garage stall Sunday afternoon at the Alabama track. A member of Mr.聽Wallace's crew reported it to NASCAR, and by Monday morning U.S. Attorney Jay Town said his office, the FBI, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division were involved.
鈥淩egardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society,鈥� Mr.聽Town said.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps said security has been stepped up for Mr.聽Wallace 鈥� his team was also granted unusual access to its car Monday morning to ensure it had not been tampered with overnight 鈥� and the FBI was 鈥渃urrently on site鈥� at the track.
He said the FBI director had told agents in Birmingham to 鈥渦se all their resources鈥� to find the perpetrator.
鈥淯nequivocally they will be banned from this sport for life," Mr.聽Phelps said. "There is no room for this at all. We won鈥檛 tolerate it. They won鈥檛 be here. I don鈥檛 care who they are, they will not be here.鈥�
NASCAR has tried to distance itself from the Confederate flag for years at the risk of alienating a core group of its fan base. At Mr.聽Wallace's urging, it went ahead with the ban as the nation grapples with social unrest largely tied to George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police.
NASCAR has not outlined how it will enforce the restriction and this week's race at Talladega, in the heart of the South, presented the series with its biggest test in the early going. Disgruntled fans with Confederate flags drove past the main entrance to the track all weekend and a plane flew above the track Sunday pulling a banner of the flag that read 鈥淒efund NASCAR."
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she was 鈥渟hocked and appalled鈥� by the 鈥渧ile act鈥� against Mr.聽Wallace.
鈥淭here is no place for this disgusting display of hatred in our state,鈥� Ms. Ivey said. "Bubba Wallace is one of us; he is a native of Mobile and on behalf of all Alabamians, I apologize to Bubba Wallace as well as to his family and friends for the hurt this has caused and regret the mark this leaves on our state.鈥�
Mr.聽Petty said in a statement聽he was 鈥渆nraged" by the 鈥渇ilthy act鈥� of racism. Retired champion Jeff Gordon called it a 鈥渃owardly鈥� act while retired champion and current team owner Tony Stewart seethed in a social media post: 鈥淎ngry. Outraged. Disappointed. Those words don鈥檛 fully describe how I feel. #IStandWithBubba and I鈥檒l damn sure stand up to anyone who engages in this kind of behavior.鈥�
Mr.聽Phelps said he was the one who told Mr.聽Wallace about the noose.
鈥淚t was a difficult moment for Bubba, a difficult moment for me,鈥� he said. "He鈥檚 handled it with the grace that he has handled everything that鈥檚 happened over the last few weeks."
Mr.聽Wallace said after the noose was discovered: "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.鈥�
Mr.聽Wallace has previously worn a shirt that says 鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Breathe鈥� over his firesuit and sported a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in a race last month in Martinsville, Virginia.
Talladega is one of the more raucous stops on the NASCAR schedule, but the pandemic prompted the series, like all sports, to ban or sharply limit fans. Up to 5,000 fans were allowed in, but there were far fewer than that Monday and none of them had access to the the infield or the Cup Series garage.
Under strict new health guidelines, a very limited number of people can access the garage. That would include crew members for each of the 40 teams, NASCAR employees, Talladega staff members, and any contracted safety crews or security guards.
Mr.聽Phelps declined to discuss whether cameras in the garage area might have captured anything of value but noted NASCAR has an approved list of who is allowed access that has been turned over to authorities.
鈥淚t will be part of what the FBI is looking at,鈥� he said.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
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