NASCAR has released the first official image of the garage-style knot that was fashioned into what appears to be a noose inside Bubba Wallace’s garage at the Talladega Superspeedway, which sparked an internal investigation.
“We’re living in a highly charged and emotional time. What we saw was a symbol of hate and was only present in one area of the garage and that was of the 43 car of Bubba Wallace. In hindsight, I should have used the word ‘alleged’ in our statement,” he added.
Phelps noted that the knot appeared to be a noose, adding that “with similar emotion, others across our industry and our media stood up to defend the NASCAR family.”
The FBI determined that the noose had been in the garage since October of last year, concluding that no federal hate crime occurred.
“As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba. ... Our NASCAR family. Because they are part of the NASCAR family, too. We are proud to see so many stand up for what’s right,” Phelps added.
Earlier in the week, U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI special agent Johnnie Sharp Jr. said that 15 FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews at the Talladega Speedway in Alabama.
No charges will be filed in the case, the agency said.
After the FBI released its findings, Wallace said he was relieved but frustrated by the reaction after many people alleged he partook in a hoax and made comparisons to the Jussie Smollett case last year.
Wallace added that some wrongly said he found and reported the noose, adding that another staffer discovered it.