An entire field of NASCAR drivers and crew members joined together to push Bubba Wallace and his No. 43 car in an extraordinary show of support ahead of a race at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday.
NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell tweeted a video of the procession as it passed by an ”#IStandWithBubba” stencil on the infield. Mike Phillips, senior manager of track services at NASCAR, called it the “proudest day in my 20 year career.”
Once the group pushed his car to the front of the line, Wallace emerged and tearfully took it all in.
The 26-year-old shared a photo of the show of solidarity, captioning it, simply, “Together.”
A noose was found in Wallace’s garage stall on Sunday, less than two weeks after the racing body banned the display of the Confederate flag at all its events and properties.
The decision came after Wallace, the only Black driver to reach the sport’s top tier, actively lobbied for its removal amid nationwide protests over police brutality and systemic inequality.
NASCAR launched an investigation into the noose, pledging to “do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport.”
That’s in addition to an inquiry by the FBI and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society,” U.S. Attorney Jay Town told The Associated Press Monday.
Calling all HuffPost superfans!
Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter
