Bubba Wallace finished in 14th place at Monday's race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, but he and NASCAR were winners after all ...
Bubba Wallace finished in 14th place at Monday's race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, but he and NASCAR were winners after all 39 drivers rallied around the only black full-time stock car racer in a moving gesture of solidarity after he discovered a noose hanging in his garage.
'I'm proud to stand where I'm at... This sport is changing,' an emotional Wallace said after the race.
'The deal that happened (Saturday) I wanted to show whoever it was, you are not going to take away my smile.
'I am going to keep on going.'
As fans cheered Wallace from the other side of the fence that separates the stands from the track, he appeared overwhelmed by the public show of support from the NASCAR community.
'The prerace deal was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness in my life,' he said.
'This sport is changing,' Bubba Wallace said on Monday after an emotional weekend in which NASCAR rallied behind him at Talladega Superspeedway
'From all the supporters, from drivers to crew members, everybody here, the bad*** fan base, thank you guys for coming out.
'This is truly incredible, and I'm glad to be a part of this sport.'
Even in victory, Ryan Blaney thought about what happened to his close friend, Wallace, over the weekend. And what happened afterward.
Blaney held onto the lead after a restart with two laps to go Monday, earning his second straight win at Talladega Superspeedway on a day that began with NASCAR drivers throwing their support behind Wallace.
'I think it's great that everybody really came together,' Blaney said. 'I don't want it to be remembered as a terrible day or a bad day in NASCAR.
'I want it to be remembered as there was an incident and we all overcame it together and showed that we're not going to take it any more.'
It was that kind of bittersweet day and weekend.
Blaney nipped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the finish line by .007 seconds for his fourth win and first since Talladega in October, albeit this time before a mostly empty venue.
Ryan Blaney celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, on Monday
It was a race marked by support for Wallace instead of another Big One at Talladega, though there was mayhem behind Blaney on the final lap and he also pushed Erik Jones into the wall near the finish.
Before the race, in an extraordinary act of solidarity with NASCAR's only black driver, dozens of drivers pushed the car belonging to Wallace to the front of the field before Monday's race as FBI agents nearby tried to find out who left a noose in his garage stall over the weekend.
The stock car series was left reeling and angered by the racist act that came less than two weeks after it banned the Confederate flag on its properties at Wallace's urging.
NASCAR has vowed to permanently bar the person responsible, but the investigation was in its early stages.
The 26-year-old Wallace was surrounded by all 39 other drivers in the moments before the race and they were joined by their crews in a march down pit road as they pushed his No. 43 to the front of the line. Wallace climbed out of his car and wept.
It was a stirring move to support Wallace at a track in the heart of the South where flags have flown for decades and were seen outside the superspeedway all weekend long by fans opposed to NASCAR's ban. Wallace is a native of Mobile, Alabama, which is a four-hour drive from Talladega. 
Wallace takes a selfie with himself and other drivers that pushed his car to the front in the pits of the Talladega Superspeedway before the start of a NASCAR Cup Series race
Driver Bubba Wallace is overcome with emotion (right) as he sits in his car prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series race
Driver Bubba Wallace, right, is overcome with emotion as he and team owner Richard Petty walk to his car in the pits of the Talladega Superspeedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, left, and Corey LaJoie, right, join other drivers and crews as they push the car of Bubba Wallace to the front of the field prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway
Standing alongside Wallace for the national anthem was Richard Petty, the 82-year-old Hall of Fame driver known as 'The King.'
Wallace drives for Petty, who issued a scathing rebuke after the noose was found that called for the 'sick person' to be expelled from NASCAR forever - a move NASCAR President Steve Phelps insisted would happen should they be caught.
The race began with Martin Truex Jr. on the pole in front of a mostly empty venue.
Up to 5,000 fans were allowed into Talladega for the race - only the second race with fans since NASCAR returned from the pandemic-forced shutdown - but attendance was significantly lower Monday after the one-day postponement because of rain.
Workers painted '#IStandWithBubbaWallace' on the infield grass before the race and Confederate flags were nowhere to be seen inside the sprawling facility that can hold 80,000-plus and usually sees dozens of TVs lined up across its infield.
Hours after Sunday's race was postponed by rain, NASCAR said the noose had been found. The sanctioning body vowed to do everything possible to find who was responsible and 'eliminate them from the sport.' It has not offered other details.
Bubba Wallace, 26, was overwhelmed with the support he received from his fellow NASCAR drivers in his native Alabama
NASCAR drivers push the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet, driven by Bubba Wallace, to the front of the grid as a sign of solidarity with the driver prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Two weeks ago, Wallace successfully pushed NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its venues, though the sanctioning body has not outlined plans on how it will enforce the restriction.
Disgruntled fans with Confederate flags drove past the main entrance to the Alabama race track prior to Sunday's scheduled race, while a plane flew above the track pulling a banner of the flag that read 'Defund NASCAR.'
Smaller numbers of Black Lives Matters supporters were seen lining the streets and waving the American flag. One demonstrator held a sign that read 'Not My South.'
In the stands, fan Luke Johnson said he is against the flag ban, saying: 'All the NASCAR tracks need to keep on flying them.'
As for the noose left for Wallace, he said: 'I thought it was funny myself.'
Another fan, Robert Chaisson, said he didn't have a strong opinion on the ban. He certainly did on what happened to Wallace.
'That was messed up. I hope they charge that guy with a hate crime,' Chaisson, who lives in Alabaster, Alabama, said.
'It doesn't matter what your opinion is, it's when you cross that line, then your opinion no longer matters. That's trying to inflict harm on someone else.'
Wallace is seen crying alongside his No. 43 car with team owner and NASCAR legend Richard Petty in his trademark hat
Owner and former Drive of Bubba Wallace's No. 43 car, 'The King,' Richard Petty rides a golf cart prior to Monday's restart
Investigators speak with personnel in the garage area prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday. A noose was found in the garage stall of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway a week after the organization banned the Confederate flag at its facilities
Talladega County Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore said NASCAR contacted the FBI, which was handling the investigation.
'The US Attorney's office for the Northern District of Alabama, FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are reviewing the situation surrounding the noose that was found in Bubba Wallace's garage to determine whether there are violations of federal law,' officials said in a statement Monday.
'Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society.
NASCAR has vowed to step up security in response to the incident.
'We are going to use every effort we can to determine who has done this, whether it's a single person or multiple people,' NASCAR president Steve Phelps said during a conference call on Monday.
'I know that the director of the FBI has informed the Birmingham office to use all their resources to find it as well.
'Unequivocally, they will be banned from this sport for life. There is no room for this at all and we won't tolerate it.
'I don't care who they are, they will not be here.'
Eighty-two-year-old NASCAR legend Richard Petty, who owns and previously drove Wallace's No. 43 car, said he was 'enraged' by the incident.
'There is absolutely no place in our sport or our society for racism,' Petty said in a statement.
'This filthy act serves as a reminder of how far we still have to go to eradicate racial prejudice and it galvanizes my resolve do use the resources of Richard Petty Motorsports to create change.'
Talladega County Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore said NASCAR contacted the FBI, which was handling the investigation. 'The US Attorney's office for the Northern District of Alabama, FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are reviewing the situation surrounding the noose that was found in Bubba Wallace's garage to determine whether there are violations of federal law,' officials said in a statement Monday
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (pictured with the state seal, which includes the Confederate flag) said she was 'shocked and appalled' by the 'vile act' against Wallace, an Alabama native: 'There is no place for this disgusting display of hatred in our state. Bubba Wallace is one of us; he is a native of Mobile and on behalf of all Alabamians, I apologize to Bubba Wallace as well as to his family and friends for the hurt this has caused and regret the mark this leaves on our state.'
NASCAR driver Michael McDowell shared his anger about the noose on Twitter
The incident has rocked NASCAR, which returned to racing just last month because of the coronavirus pandemic.
'We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act,' the series said in a statement.
'As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR, and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all.'
The stock car series, founded in the South more than 70 years ago, has tried to distance itself from the flag for years at the risk of alienating a core group of its fan base.
It went ahead with the ban as the nation grapples with social unrest largely tied to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police.
'God help us,' NASCAR driver Michael McDowell tweeted after word of the noose went public. 'The level of evil it takes to do something like this is disgusting. This is enraging and heartbreaking all at the same time.'
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet, and Kurt Busch, driver of the #1 Monster Energy Chevrolet, embrace prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday
Bubba Wallace gives a thumbs up to his 39 NASCAR rivals who helped push his car to the start of the field on Monday
Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr. embrace before the start of Monday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said she was 'shocked and appalled' by the 'vile act' against Wallace, an Alabama native.
'There is no place for this disgusting display of hatred in our state,' Ivey said.
'Bubba Wallace is one of us; he is a native of Mobile and on behalf of all Alabamians, I apologize to Bubba Wallace as well as to his family and friends for the hurt this has caused and regret the mark this leaves on our state.'
While the Confederate flag remains a symbol of southern pride to some, its history is inextricably linked with slavery and the racist motivations behind the secession of the southern states in 1860.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said she was 'shocked and appalled' by the 'vile act' against Wallace, an Alabama native.
'There is no place for this disgusting display of hatred in our state,' Ivey said.
'Bubba Wallace is one of us; he is a native of Mobile and on behalf of all Alabamians, I apologize to Bubba Wallace as well as to his family and friends for the hurt this has caused and regret the mark this leaves on our state.'
Two weeks ago, Wallace successfully pushed NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its venues, though the sanctioning body has not outlined plans on how it will enforce the restriction. Disgruntled fans with Confederate flags drove past the main entrance to the Alabama race track prior to Sunday's race, while a plane flew above the track pulling a banner of the flag that read 'Defund NASCAR'
A plane flies a banner reading, 'Defund NASCAR,' near Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday
NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from being displayed at its events but supporters of the symbol still managed to be seen Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday
Black Lives Matter supporter await the arrival of the Confederate Flag supporters on Sunday
While the Confederate flag remains a symbol of southern pride to some, its history is inextricably linked with slavery and the racist motivations behind the secession of the southern states in 1860.
As Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stevens infamously said at the onset of the Civil War: 'Our new [government's] foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man.'
Reaction from Wallace's fellow drivers was immediate as they prepared for the rescheduled race Monday afternoon.
Retired champion Jeff Gordon called it a 'cowardly' act and Ryan Blaney, one of Wallace's closest friends, tweeted: 'You're my brother and always will be. Don't let the people who are lower than life to try and bring you down.'
The 26-year-old Wallace has not commented since a statement on social media late Sunday in which he said the 'the despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism.'
'As my mother told me today, `They are just trying to scare you,'' he wrote. ' This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in.'
Wallace has worn a shirt that says 'I Can't Breathe' over his firesuit and his No. 43 - made famous by Petty - sported a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in a race last month in Martinsville, Virginia.
Wallace previously told AP that NASCAR had assigned him a pair of sheriff's deputies for security at Martinsville after he called for a ban of the flag.
In this 1962, file photo, a confederate flag is held behind Junior Johnson of Ronda, North Carolina as he poses with his sister, right, and Ginger Pointevint, Miss Sun Fun USA, left, in the winner's circle after the Southern 500 auto race at Darlington Speedway in South Carolina
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