The FBI has concluded that the noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage over the weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama was actually a rope pull handle for a garage door that was fashioned in a similar way to a noose.
The story became national news when NASCAR began investigating the incident as a possible hate crime against the African-American driver, Wallace.
Their review revealed that the rope had been in that particular garage as early as October 2019, and had not been put there to intimidate the only full-time black driver on the circuit like once thought.
The sport had greatly rallied around the 26-year-old Wallace when it was believed that he was the victim of this now-debunked racist act, as 39 other drivers and their pit crews banded together on Monday to push Wallace's car to the front of the race moments before the start in a powerful display of unity.
Just a little over a week earlier, NASCAR had officially banned the display of Confederate Flags in and around their race tracks at all events. Many originally feared that the 'noose' reports may have had something to do with the ban.
Here was the official statement made by NASCAR:
“The FBI has completed its investigation at Talladega Superspeedway and determined that Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime. The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall. This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment. We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing.”
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