In the high-octane world of NASCAR, where speed and competition reign supreme, a different kind of drama unfolded in June 2020, thrusting driver Bubba Wallace into the spotlight for reasons beyond his racing skills. Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, found himself at the center of a controversy when a noose was discovered in his team’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway. The incident sparked immediate outrage, with NASCAR and fellow drivers rallying in solidarity, only for the narrative to shift dramatically when the FBI concluded it was not a hate crime. What followed was a storm of accusations that Wallace had staged the event for media attention, igniting debates about race, integrity, and the sport’s complex history.
The saga began on June 21, 2020, when a member of Wallace’s Richard Petty Motorsports team reported finding a rope tied into what appeared to be a noose in their assigned garage stall. Coming just weeks after Wallace successfully pushed NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag—a symbol long tied to the sport’s Southern roots and criticized for its racist connotations—the discovery seemed to confirm fears of retaliation. NASCAR responded swiftly, labeling it a “heinous act” and launching an investigation alongside the U.S. Department of Justice. The next day, in a powerful show of unity, drivers and crews pushed Wallace’s No. 43 car to the front of the pit road at Talladega, a moment that symbolized the sport’s commitment to change.
However, the narrative took a sharp turn on June 23 when the FBI concluded its investigation. After deploying 15 agents and reviewing video evidence, authorities determined that the “noose” was a garage door pull rope, fashioned into a loop, that had been in place since at least October 2019—long before Wallace’s team was assigned the stall. No federal crime had been committed, and Wallace was not the target of a racial attack. NASCAR corroborated the findings, noting that while the rope resembled a noose, its presence predated Wallace’s arrival. The organization expressed relief that it wasn’t a deliberate act against him but vowed to investigate why the rope was tied that way.
The fallout was immediate and polarizing. Critics, including some fans and media figures, accused Wallace of orchestrating a hoax to garner sympathy and publicity. Comparisons to actor Jussie Smollett, who staged a fake hate crime in 2019, flooded social media, with hashtags like #BubbaSmollett trending. Former President Donald Trump even weighed in, demanding Wallace apologize for the “hoax” and criticizing NASCAR’s flag ban. Wallace, for his part, stood firm. He emphasized that he hadn’t discovered the noose himself—his team had—and that he never claimed it was directed at him personally. “It was a noose,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon. “Whether tied in 2019 or whenever, it was a noose. It wasn’t aimed at me, but somebody tied it.”
Wallace’s defenders pointed to the broader context: a Black driver navigating a sport with a history of racial tension, fresh off challenging its traditions. They argued that the incident, hoax or not, underscored NASCAR’s ongoing struggle with inclusion. The sport had banned Confederate flags, but they still flew defiantly outside Talladega that weekend. Wallace himself expressed relief at the FBI’s findings but frustration at those questioning his character. “I’ll take a little embarrassment over what the alternatives could have been,” he tweeted.
In the end, the incident left lingering questions. Did Wallace’s team overreact, or was their alarm justified given the climate? Was NASCAR’s swift response a genuine stand against racism or a PR move? What’s clear is that Bubba Wallace emerged as a lightning rod in a sport at a crossroads, where the roar of engines now competes with the echoes of a cultural reckoning.
