President Trump Demands Apology From Bubba Wallace Over Noose ‘Hoax’, NASCAR Drivers Chime In With Support For Bubba

If you haven’t been keeping up with the news, NASCAR has been in the headlines quite a lot lately, as has NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. Wallace is the only Black full-time driver in the sport and has been at the forefront of some of the recent positive changes, including leading the pressure campaign that finally got NASCAR to give up their inexplicable attachment to the Confederate flag. All in all, Wallace and NASCAR have been at the front of the line for athletes and their sports making a difference as our nation changes for the better.

We covered a recent incident at Talladega Superspeedway in detail. As those various stories will tell you, a noose was found hanging in Bubba Wallace’s race team garage. The noose — a common symbol of racism given the widespread lynching of Black Americans through the South throughout our nation’s history — was found by Wallace’s team and taken down before the driver ever saw it. The team reported the incident to NASCAR and the organization then broke the story to the media. In the end, the FBI determined that the noose was a “door-pull” that someone had tied in that fashion well before the Talladega race, and that Wallace was not targeted. For his part, Wallace never made the claim that someone had specifically attacked him.

But what good is a dog whistle if you can’t blow on it?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1280117571874951170?s=20

Donald Trump, the most openly racist President that this country has had in more than 100 years, decided, two weeks late, to chime in with his … I don’t want to call them thoughts … let’s go with bile. Apropos of nothing, other than probably having heard that NASCAR had low television ratings, the standard by which this man judges success, quality and morality, Trump decided the world just wasn’t quite full enough of his incorrect, poorly informed opinions.

The President of the United States is spending his time tweeting about race car drivers instead of focusing on the (Editor’s note: this list of national emergencies and problems is too long for publication, choose your favorite) that face our nation,  With more than 100,000 dead from COVID-19 and widespread but justifiable unrest in our streets demanding change, the nominal President of the United States, instead of uniting the nation, is doing everything he can to drive the wedge of intolerance inextricably deep into our national heart.

Calling for Wallace to apologize demonstrates not only a fundamental misunderstanding of what happened, but also exactly what Trump thinks a person of color should be in his America. Make no mistake, when President for Just a Few More Months Trump is talking about “those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid …” he means what he sees, “those great white people.”

The fixation on the preservation of the battle flag of an enemy nation, not to mention their monuments to their racist leaders, would be inexplicable if it weren’t so transparent. Or if it were the first time. It’s important to not forget Trump’s previous attacks on Colin Kaepernick and NFL players who choose to protest by kneeling during the national anthem.

Sports world figures quickly came to Wallace’s defense. Even broadcasters from FOX Sports, which apparently doesn’t have the sycophantic propagandist relationship with Trump that their sister broadcasting company does when they pretend to report the news.

There is nothing to apologize for when:
–Taking a perceived threat seriously
–People show support for one another
–Making policy to be more inclusive & more welcoming
–Doing what you feel is right, regardless of any perceived business consequences

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 6, 2020

What a surprise. The Birth Doctor on race race, even though he has no idea what he's talking about.

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 6, 2020

Fellow drivers from across racing were quick to rally to Bubba Wallace’s side and let Trump know precisely which side they’re on.

@BubbaWallace all of us at @Indycar are behind you man. 🤜🏻 #IStandWithBubba

— Zach Veach (@ZachVeach) July 6, 2020

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NEW: NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick fires back at Pres. Trump's call for an apology from Bubba Wallace: "We don’t need an apology. We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support." https://t.co/1jG3rmUT4w pic.twitter.com/ALoZefkGhe

— ABC News (@ABC) July 6, 2020

As well as rival politicians.

If you ever find yourself attacking NASCAR from the right, you are wrong.

If you find yourself doing so while leading a country through a combination of national emergencies, you are unfit.

If you are eligible to vote in November 2020, you know what to do.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) July 6, 2020

Even politicians on Trump’s side won’t bite on this one. Even Lindsey Graham, a man with the backbone of a jellyfish, a man who has proven over and over that he will say and do almost anything Trump asks, a man who sold out the memory of his lifelong friend John McCain — along with all the rest of us and his country — for Trump’s approval and to keep his deep dark secrets deep and dark and just a click away on the internet, even he wouldn’t put on the president’s white hood.

"I don't think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for," Lindsey Graham says on Fox News radio re: Trump's tweet. "You saw the best in NASCAR. They all rallied to Bubba's side. I would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude rather than being worried it's a hoax."

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) July 6, 2020

The increasingly appropriately named White House defended the president’s comments with Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany telling Fox Propaganda News “The president’s merely pointing out that we’ve got to let facts come out before we jump to judgment” in a wild departure from their demonstrable approach to problem-solving.

Next time he wants to blow his racist dog whistle in NASCAR’s direction, Trump would do well to remember that NASCAR and their fans are smarter than he is. They see through his ruse. They aren’t the bigoted rubes he takes them for. They aren’t blindly going to vote for someone just because of party, abandoning all attachment to morality, decency and intelligence. I hope.

The President of the United States is a racist. Don’t be like him. We need to come together in tough times and use our collective strength to overcome the mountainous challenges facing us. If only there were a handy relevant metaphor from the recent world of sports; ideally something with NASCAR and Bubba Wallace perhaps? Oh, right…

Bubba Wallace was emotional as fellow NASCAR drivers and crew members helped push his car.

Powerful.

(via @NASCARONFOX) pic.twitter.com/id2Z5hiMoV

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 22, 2020

UPDATE: Driver Tyler Reddick tweeted his response to Trump and appears to have taken it down.

Tyler Reddick took this tweet down and @SiriusXMNASCAR just announced his regular call-in for today has been “rescheduled” pic.twitter.com/0ONiuWyZmI

— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) July 6, 2020

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