Bubba Wallace gets brutally honest on ‘one in a million’ coincidence that sparked his noose controversy

Bubba Wallace has addressed the long-standing controversy involving the noose found in his garage at Talladega Superspeedway in 2020. Speaking in a new interview on The Breakfast Club radio show, the NASCAR driver explained what really happened.

The noose incident was all over headlines during a time of heightened racial tension in the U.S., and Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black Cup Series driver, was at the center of it. The garage rope was initially believed to be a hate crime, prompting an FBI investigation. In his recent comments, Wallace explained that the entire situation stemmed from a strange coincidence. When asked in the interview if authorities ever found out who put the noose there, Bubba Wallace responded,

"It was there before we even got there. And just the one in a million, criillion coincidences that I had that garage, and in fact it was tied in a fashion like that. It could have been this small, it doesn't matter. Um, and, and so it is what it is and, and we've moved on from it." [25:13]

The incident occurred in June 2020 at Talladega, just days after NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at its events. A member of Wallace’s team discovered what looked like a noose hanging in their garage stall. NASCAR launched an investigation, and the FBI was brought in. In the interview, Wallace stressed that it still follows him today.

“You should see my Twitter mentions,” he said. “‘Bubba finished third, was there a noose?’” [25:09]

He added,

“It sucks that the sport was put in that situation, that I was put in that situation, our team was put in that situation. But, we’ve learned a lot about who we are as a sport.” [25:35]

The FBI eventually decided that the rope was not placed with malicious intent. It was a garage pull rope that had been tied in a way that resembled a noose. Despite the finding, the incident became a talking point in NASCAR, as Bubba Wallace had already gained national attention for pushing NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag.

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Bubba Wallace opens up about the pressure of the Cup Series

In an interview on CBS Mornings’ Talk of the Table, Bubba Wallace spoke about the mental and physical challenges that come with being a NASCAR Cup Series driver. The interview came after the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, as Wallace visited the CBS studio during a short mid-week break.

He talked about how the long racing calendar—with 36 races and almost no time off—can take a toll. Wallace said,

“So the last couple of weeks I've gotten the blues, like nervous. Like throughout practice, qualifying, even in the race, I don't know why. We finished third in the last two weeks. So I'm gonna hope it keeps coming. It's working.” (0:05 onwards)

According to CBS Mornings on X, Wallace also explained how drivers have to find small ways to stay grounded and enjoy the sport. Adding,

“With the demands that our sport provides and the request that it wants from you, you have to find the little joys in it. These seasons are long. Our first off weekend is coming up here in two weeks, our first and only off weekend.” (0:22 onwards)

Wallace is currently in his ninth Cup Series season. He drives the #23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by NBA’s Michael Jordan and fellow driver Denny Hamlin. Since his Cup debut in 2017, Bubba Wallace has competed in over 250 races, taking two wins, three poles, and nearly 50 top-10 finishes.