NASCAR says they are investigating an incident where a noose was found in the garage stall of the African-American driver of the Richard Petty Motorsports #43 car, Bubba Wallace, at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
The 26-year-old Wallace – who is NASCAR’s only full-time African-American driver – recently had successfully campaigned to get the Confederate flag banned from NASCAR races due to its history as a symbol of slavery and racism for certain segments of American society.
NASCAR issued a statement:
“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. 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 also issued a statement via Twitter:
