Following an investigation, the FBI has concluded that the noose found in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday had been there since 2019. The FBI made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
“On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway,” said the joint statement from US Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent Johnnie Sharp, Jr. “After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed.
“The FBI learned that garage number 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week. The investigation also revealed evidence, including authentic video confirmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019.”
Such a special moment. #NASCAR coming together as drivers march in solidarity behind #BubbaWallace after a noose was found in his stall#Racing #Race #Talladega #Sports #BLM #News #Watch #NASCARNoosehttps://t.co/VCh2nrJmZp
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) June 22, 2020
“Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.
The decision not to pursue federal charges is proper after reviewing all available facts and all applicable federal laws. We offer our thanks to NASCAR, Mr. Wallace, and everyone who cooperated with this investigation.”
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 23, 2020
Following law enforcement’s announcement, NASCAR put out its own statement Tuesday saying:
““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.”
This article cites information from NBC Sports, ESPN and the AP. For more sports, news and entertainment follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
