Track owner gets death threats, loses sponsors

A North Carolina racetrack lost two Carolina Sprint Tour races and ‘‘all but two’’ sponsors after its owner offered ‘‘Bubba Rope’’ for sale last week, days after a noose was found in the Talladega garage of Bubba Wallace, the sport’s only black driver at the top level.

Mike Fulp, owner of the half-mile 311 Speedway in Pine Hill, had written last Thursday on Facebook Marketplace: ‘‘Buy your Bubba Rope today for only $9.99 each, they come with a lifetime warranty and work great.’’

The dirt racetrack advertised a series of ‘‘America We Stand’’ races for Saturday night, with Fulp writing on Facebook that the Confederate and Trump flags and caps and American and Christian flags for ‘‘Heritage Night,’’ would be on sale. Fans were reminded, ‘‘don’t forget your 2nd Amendment Right, 311 Speedway,’’ according to the Associated Press.

Fulp removed the posts after criticism last week, but Sunday’s races and promotion at the track that calls itself ‘‘The Daytona of Dirt’’ were cancelled. ‘‘I’ve lost all but two of my sponsors,’’ Fulp said. ‘‘I’m responsible. I’m responsible for trying to make some jokes. But the world is mad as hell right now.’’

The Carolina Sprint Tour announced on Facebook that it would skip 311 Speedway for the rest of the season and was looking for new venues for its July 25 and September 26 races, noting that ‘‘2020 has been a year to test us all.’’

‘‘We do not condone nor support the comments and posts that have been made the past week.

‘‘We will not put our sponsors, IMCA Racing, series, drivers, teams, owners, fans or families in a negative light such as what’s happened recently,’’ its statement said.

Fulp changed the title of Heritage Night, which had been a response to Nascar’s decision to ban the Confederate battle flag from races. But the controversy brought attention to his other, now-deleted Facebook posts.

‘‘I received death threats this week, all week long,’’ Fulp said.

‘‘People called and left messages, threatening me, threatening my mama, threatening my granddaughter.

‘‘My girlfriend got threats. My employees got harassed. I had seven employees quit.’’