The NASCAR Cup series made its way into Talladega, Ala. over the weekend for the Geico 500. A limited number of fans were allowed to file through the gate Sunday but just as pre race ceremonies were set to get underway, a storm system came through, soaking the 2.5 mile track and postponing the race until Monday. Crews pushed their cars back to the garage area for storage until the next day.
Sometime Sunday afternoon, a noose was found in the garage area of the Richard Petty owned No. 43 which is driven by Bubba Wallace, the Cup Series’ only African-American driver. Immediately, NASCAR officials released a statement saying how appalled the organization was and they would be working diligently with Alabama state police in hopes of finding the perpetrator quickly. Simultaneously, NASCAR drivers, crews and fans took to social media to show their support of Wallace.
The incident was the topic of conversation on sports and news shows Monday. When the cars were rolled onto pit road that afternoon, all Cup drivers surrounded Wallace’s car and pushed the No. 43 to the front of the starting grid. Following the drivers were team members and NASCAR officials. Wallace climbed from the car and was overwhelmed, lowering his head to the top of the car with tears flowing. Car owner Petty, who has not attended a race in months due to COVID-19, consoled his driver with an arm around him and words of encouragement.
Drivers then individually embraced Wallace before circling around his car. Former champion Brad Keselowski held the American flag over Wallace’s car during the National Anthem.
In the race, Wallace spent a lot of time mixing it up with the leaders and even grabbed the top spot for a moment. Running out of fuel in the closing laps took Wallace out of contention for the win, but his best friend Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag. Following the race, Wallace thanked the fans for their support and made his way to personally thank a group of first-time fans for coming to the race.
At the time of writing this article, no information has been released on the investigation. With a very limited number of people having access to the garage area and multiple security cameras, most expect things to move quickly. The series will head to Pocono, Pa. this weekend for a double-header.