FBI agent denies claims that Bubba Wallace noose drama was a hoax

FBI agent denies claims that Bubba Wallace noose drama was a hoax

Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace, only the second black driver after Hall of Famer Wendell Scott in NASCAR history to win a cup series race following his victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021, is one of the most successful drivers from a minority in NASCAR, a sport which is predominantly dominated by the white majority.

Bubba Wallace who is currently the only full-time driver in the NASCAR cup series has been subjected to racist abuse throughout his career and things only escalated after the racer started actively participating in anti-discriminatory campaigns. He was successful in forcing NASCAR to ban the use of the Confederate flag during NASCAR races.

Just days after NASCAR’s decision to ban the flag, a rope fashioned into the shape of a noose was found hanging from Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega Speedway, in Alabama in June 2020. This forced media frenzy and commotion inviting an FBI investigation. The investigation concluded that the noose wasn’t aimed purposely aimed at Bubba Wallace which prompted speculation that it was just a hoax.

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Now FBI Agent Stanley Ruffin is quoted by The Sun Speaking in the forthcoming documentary series RACE: Bubba Wallace denies the notion that it was a ruse saying “It wasn’t a hoax; it was real and Mr. Wallace had nothing to do with the placement of that noose. I’ll stand by that,”

What was the alleged Racist attack against Bubba Wallace and how did it play out?

Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace with the NASCAR drivers and crew

Bubba Wallace was alerted by NASCAR President Steve Phelps of the noose that was found in his garage after the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US. NASCAR called the incident a  “heinous act” called for FBI investigation and all the NASCAR drivers and teams came out in solidarity with the driver.

FBI concluded that the alleged noose was just an unfortunate coincidence as it was a door pull rope fashioned like a noose that had been present there since October 2019. This prompted yet another Media frenzy with then US President Donald Trump calling it a hoax and Bubba Wallace’s critics accused him of staging the incident for publicity.

Whether the noose incident is true or false Bubba Wallace indeed faces discrimination from a section of the NASCAR community for being black. But the future looks bright as NASCARs newly implemented diversity initiatives have provided minorities a fair chance in NASCAR and there are mew, multiple team owners, from minorities investing in NASCAR.

Also read: ‘It was violent,’ Myatt Snider on his Xfinity Series crash at Daytona