Bubba Wallace opened up about the emotional toll of the noose incident that occurred at his garage stall in Talladega in 2020. During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Wallace was asked whether NASCAR had reached the bottom of the incident. “It was there before we got there, years before we got there,” Wallace shared. “It was just a coincidence that I had that garage. It’s wild. It’s still a topic of discussion. You should see my Twitter mentions. It’s wild that it’s still going. But it was there before we even got there, and just the one in a million coincidences that I had that garage stall.”
He continued, “It was tied in a fashion like that, it could have been this small, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. We’ve moved on from it, and it sucks that the sport was put in that situation, that I was put in that situation, our team was put in that situation. But we’ve learned a lot about who we are as a sport and who we are as competitors, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The incident on June 21, 2020, was reported by a member of Wallace’s team who discovered a noose in the garage stall. Wallace recalled being “incredibly saddened” when informed by now-NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps. Following this revelation, drivers and crew members united and pushed Wallace’s car to the front of the pit road, showing their solidarity. An FBI investigation later concluded the so-called noose was actually a pull-down rope that had been present since the previous year’s fall Talladega race.
Wallace revealed how emotionally taxing the year following the incident was. “A year or two after that was rough,” Wallace admitted. “I went from being one of the most favorable drivers, but now it’s just been the boos and stuff. That’s okay because it’s sports.”
He further discussed his experiences, saying, “I love going to college football games, Tennessee and college basketball games. I’m not a person that boos other teams because I’m kind of in the sports world myself, and it just kind of seems childish. But fans do what they want, so booing is a part of sports in general. The next week after Talladega was like, a light switch. It was like, whoa! Holy s***, I didn’t ask for this. Now they’re making noise.”
The incident and its aftermath shed light on the sport’s culture and audience perspectives, impacting Bubba Wallace significantly. As he continues to navigate his career, the situation has served as a learning moment for him and the sport. The outpouring of support from his peers demonstrated NASCAR’s inclination towards positive change and inclusivity, marking a noteworthy moment in its history. The emotional effect on Wallace highlights the challenges faced by athletes in the public eye, where sportsmanship and personal struggles often intersect. As time progresses, how the incident shapes future discussions about diversity and sports remains to be seen.
