NASCAR has released a photo of the “noose” that they claimed that they found earlier this week in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall and which sparked an immediate federal investigation.
The photo is likely to spark more questions than it answers because it appears to be a rope that is attached to the garage door and that is tied in a similar fashion to ropes that have been in the garages at the Talladega Superspeedway for years, according to footage available on NASCAR’s own social media accounts.
NASCAR just released a photo of the garage pull rope that was fashioned into a noose at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/gRAUAJoYv2
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 25, 2020
The FBI sent a whopping 15 agents to investigate the incident, which they quickly concluded was not a hate crime as the rope at that specific garage had been tied that way since at least year.
“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,” NASCAR said in a statement. “This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment.”
NASCAR followed the incident by having the other drivers surround Wallace’s car and walk alongside it on the track in a show of support.
Multiple NASCAR drivers and crew members joined Bubba Wallace, pushing his No. 43 car to the front at Talladega.
(via @odsteve)pic.twitter.com/ROVL2XOAOM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 22, 2020
In an interview after it was revealed that there was no hate crime, Wallace appeared on CNN with host Don Lemon where he said he was “pissed” because he felt like people did not believe him.
“And as a person, Don, that doesn’t need the fame, doesn’t need the hype, doesn’t need the media, I could care less,” Wallace said. “I could give two craps about that.”
“One thing you’ll never take away from me is how 100% I am,” Wallace continued. “How raw I am, how real I am. And how I’ll shoot it to you straight each and every time because that’s how I was brought up and that’s what I stand by and in my statement on Sunday night. This will not break me.”
“None of the allegations of being a hoax will break me or tear me down,” Wallace continued. “Will it piss me off? Absolutely. But that only fuels the competitive drive in me to shut everybody up, to get back out on the race track next weekend in Pocono, and showcase what I can do behind the wheel. Tremendous amounts of BS, whatever it is that you want to say, you won’t break me, you won’t tear me down. Again, I will still stand proud of where I’m at.”
There were mixed reactions online to the released photograph.
Those who expressed initial skepticism of Wallace’s and NASCAR’s claims of a noose now say they are vindicated by the photo, which proves the “noose” was, in fact, a rope garage pull. Those who rushed to believe Wallace and jumped on a largely media-driven bandwagon now claim the photo vindicates them given that the garage door pull does look as though it is tied like a noose.
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