TALLADEGA COUNTY, Ala. — Governor Kay Ivey and U.S. Attorney Jay Towne had strong messages for the public after a noose was found in the Talladega garage of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver racing full-time in NASCAR's top tier of racing.
Governor Ivey said in a statement:
“I am shocked and appalled to hear of yesterday’s vile act against Bubba Wallace in Talladega - there is no place for this disgusting display of hatred in our state. Racism and threats of this nature will not be condoned nor tolerated, and I commit to assisting in any way possible to ensure that the person responsible for this is caught and punished. While the important conversation of racial reconciliation is ongoing all over our country, it is clear there is much work to do. Bubba Wallace is one of us; he is a native of Mobile and on behalf of all Alabamians, I apologize to Bubba Wallace as well as to his family and friends for the hurt this has caused and regret the mark this leaves on our state. I ask the NASCAR family to rally around Bubba and his team as they compete today and I know that there are more people who are wishing him well today than ever before.”
U.S. Attorney Jay Towne said in a statement:
"The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Alabama, FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are reviewing the situation surrounding the noose that was found in Bubba Wallace’s garage to determine whether there are violations of federal law. Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society."
Authorities said Monday that the FBI is investigating the discovery of a noose found in the Talladega Superspeedway garage stall of Bubba Wallace and the governor of Alabama condemned the act against NASCAR's only Black full-time driver.
Wallace two weeks ago successfully pushed NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its venues, though the sanctioning body has not outlined plans on how it will enforce the restriction. Disgruntled fans with Confederate flags drove past the main entrance to the Alabama race track prior to Sunday's race, while a plane flew above the track pulling a banner of the flag that read “Defund NASCAR."
Wallace posted this on Twitter today:
NASCAR responded to the discovery of the noose with a statement that they have launched an immediate investigation and will do everything they can to "identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport."
RELATED: The history of the confederate flag