Trump calls out NASCAR, Wallace for noose incident
WASHINGTON >> NASCAR’s layered relationship with President Donald Trump took a sharp turn Monday when Trump blasted the racing organization for banning the Confederate flag and wrongly accused the sport’s only full-time Black driver of perpetrating “a hoax” when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall.
Trump suggested Bubba Wallace should apologize after the sport rallied around him after the noose was found in his assigned stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Federal authorities ruled last month the noose had been hanging since October and was not a hate crime.
NASCAR and the FBI have exclusively referred to the rope — which was used to pull the garage door closed — as a noose.
It was the only garage pull out of 1,684 stalls at 29 inspected NASCAR tracks to be fashioned as a noose.
NASCAR president Steve Phelps has bristled at suggestions the noose was a hoax. Wallace was shown a photograph of the noose, never personally saw it, and was told by NASCAR officials he was the victim of a hate crime.
“Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?” Trump tweeted. “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”
Wallace responded on Twitter with a note to “the next generation and little ones following my foot steps” in which he urged people to use their platform and not be detracted by “hate being thrown at you.”
“Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate,” Wallace tweeted. “Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS .. Love wins.”
NASCAR did not directly address the Trump tweet in a Monday statement.
“We are proud to have Bubba Wallace in the NASCAR family and we commend his courage and leadership,” NASCAR said. “NASCAR continues to stand tall with
Bubba, our competitors and everyone who makes our sport welcoming and inclusive for all racing fans.”
Andrew Murstein, co-owner of the Richard Petty Motorsports team that fields Wallace’s car, called Trump’s tweet “a late, misinformed, and factually incorrect statement.” He also said it was unwarranted and cited the photo NASCAR released of the noose.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” Murstein said in a statement. “Bubba has reacted in a truthful, professional, level headed manner. The NASCAR community and those in the know all stand by him.”
Tyler Reddick replied to Trump’s tweet with a message of his own: “We don’t need an apology. We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support.”
As for NASCAR’s ratings, a network executive said that viewership on Fox networks has increased 8% since the sport returned from hiatus on May 17. TRUMP CRITICIZES TEAMS FOR WEIGHING NAME CHANGES >> Trump criticized a pair of pro sports teams that are considering name changes in the wake of a national reckoning over racial injustice and inequality.
Trump tweeted, “They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct.”