NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace on Tuesday night responded to the FBI’s conclusion that he was not the target of a racist hate crime by dismissing conspiracy theories spreading online.
Federal investigators determined earlier in the day that a noose found in the stall used by Wallace’s team at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, over the weekend had been there since October 2019 and wasn’t intended as a racist attack on him.
“I’m pissed,” Wallace told CNN’s Don Lemon, referring to baseless conspiracy claims that the noose was a hoax.
“I’m mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity,” said NASCAR’s only top-level Black driver, who earlier this month persuaded the racing body to ban Confederate flags from its events.
Wallace explained he was informed of the existence of the noose by NASCAR president Steve Phelps, and said he didn’t initially see it or report it.
