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NASCAR: Noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega
A noose was found in Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega. Pool Photo-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Content Services, LLC

NASCAR: Noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega

NASCAR's race at Talladega Superspeedway was postponed until Monday afternoon due to inclement weather, but that wasn't what everyone was talking about regarding the race.

A noose was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace on Sunday, according to ESPN, and it comes less than two weeks after the sport's only African American driver successfully got the Confederate flag banned from all races and facilities.

"Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team. We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act," NASCAR said in a statement. "We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport.

"As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR, and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all."

Wallace never saw the noose, though a member of his team did and immediately reported it to NASCAR officials. 

The driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports responded to the incident via social media and called the act "despicable," among other things. 

While NASCAR has tried to distance itself from the Confederate flag for years, many fans outside the track on Sunday waved and displayed it. A plane even flew above the track pulling a banner of a Confederate flag that said "Defund NASCAR."

Following the incident, many reached out to Wallace, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. who wrote "Hope Bubba wins it tomorrow." 

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