Bubba Wallace says that he has evidence a "straight-up noose" was found in his garage in Florida this week, despite an FBI investigation saying that the rope was a garage door pull that was simply fashioned like a noose.- NASCAR on Sunday said a noose had been found in Wallace's garage stall ahead of the Talladega Superspeedway; however, the FBI concluded the rope was a "door pull" that had been there for at least eight months.
- "From the evidence that we have and I have, it's a straight-up noose," Wallace told CNN. "It was a noose that was whether tied in 2019 or whenever, it was a noose."
- The 26-year-old also said he was "pissed" at people who had claimed the incident was a setup designed for him to gain traction in his fight against the Confederate flag.
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NASCAR on Sunday said a noose had been found in Wallace's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway; however, an investigation by the FBI concluded Tuesday that the rope was a "door pull" that had been there for at least eight months — long before the garage was assigned to Wallace.
"The image that I have seen of what was hanging in my garage is not a garage pull," Wallace told CNN in light of the FBI's conclusion. "I've been racing all my life. We've raced out of hundreds of garages that never had garage pulls like that."
He added: "From the evidence that we have and I have, it's a straight-up noose. The FBI has stated that it was a noose over and over again. NASCAR leadership has stated it was a noose.
"I can confirm that I actually got evidence of what was hanging in my garage, over my car, around my pit-crew guys, to confirm that it was a noose.
"It was a noose that was whether tied in 2019 or whenever, it was a noose. It wasn't directed at me, but somebody tied a noose."
The 26-year-old, who is NASCAR's only Black driver, also expressed anger at people on social media who had claimed the incident was a setup designed for him to gain traction in his fight against the Confederate flag.
Wallace has been campaigning to rid NASCAR of Confederate imagery, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Earlier this month, the organization banned Confederate flags at its events and said in a statement that such flags' presence at races "runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors, and our industry."
That has not stopped some fans, however, from trying to skirt the rules. At the Talladega 500 last weekend, a plane flying a Confederate battle flag and the slogan "Defund NASCAR" was flown over the circuit.
"I'm pissed," Wallace said. "I'm mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity. They're not stealing that from me, but trying to test that."
Correction: This story previously erroneously stated that Wallace had said the FBI's conclusions were "wrong."
- Read more:
- FBI says noose found at NASCAR track had been there for at least 8 months with no foul play suspected
- All signs suggest the noose left in Bubba Wallace's garage was an inside job and NASCAR has vowed the person will be 'banned from the sport for life'
- You're not gonna take away my smile': Bubba Wallace offers emotional interview after finishing 14th at Talladega
- Bubba Wallace's mom says her son has been called the 'n-word' and told he doesn't 'belong' during races