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Published 18:55 IST, June 25th 2020

Bubba Wallace garage photos confirm it was a noose; racer warns of photoshopped images

The Bubba Wallace garage photo evidence confirms it was a noose, says the 26-year-old NASCAR driver. Wallace says the image will be photoshopped by haters.

Reported by: Sujay Chakraborty
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The FBI investigation into the Bubba Wallace noose incident recently confirmed that the noose in his garage was not a racist attack. The Bubba Wallace garage photo obtained by the federal authorities show that the noose was nothing but a garage pull that has been at the No. 4 garage at Talladega Superspeedway since October 2019. While the incident might have not been proven as a hate crime, the NASCAR driver is convinced that it was a noose, as he is still trying to figure out the reason behind the loop being tied as a noose in the first place.

Also Read | Bubba Wallace interview: Responds To FBI Investigation, Bubba Wallace garage rope photo

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Bubba Wallace interview

On Wednesday, the NASCAR star appeared on the Today Show where he discussed the ongoing 'Bubba Wallace garage rope photo' story and said that the photo evidence confirms it was a noose. Wallace questioned the investigation as to why was a garage loop tied into a noose, which even the FBI considered sceptical, according to the racer. Wallace said he spoke to the FBI agents twice about the incident. "It was a rope-pull from a garage door, it was attached. The image you see in where it was cut, that’s exactly what it was. It was definitely in the shape of a noose, but it wasn’t a functioning noose,” he said.

Also Read | Bubba Wallace's Family Relives Cousin's Death 'when A Black Man Is Killed Unnecessarily'

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On discovering it was a garage pull, Wallace told that he checked all other garages at the speedway. "I was very adamant on searching all of the garages and making sure that this wasn’t a garage pull and it ended up being one. The photo evidence that I’ve seen that I have in my possession of what was in our garage is exactly a garage pull, it is, that is a noose," he added. 

Meanwhile, NASCAR, as well as Bubba Wallace, received a lot of flak on social media for blowing the situation out of proportion. While speaking to CNN, Wallace said until the FBI released their findings, he and NASCAR President Steve Phelps were convinced that it was a racist attack against the driver, who has made the headlines for his support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Addressing the social media backlash, Wallace said he accepts that there "will always be a backlash."

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However, the 26-year-old also noted that some haters are photoshopping he Bubba Wallace garage rope photo in order to make him look like a bad person. "At the end of the day, I will always have haters," he told CNN.

 

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Also Read | NASCAR Star Refuses To Buy Into 'garage Loop' Explanation

Bubba Wallace garage rope photo

The Bubba Wallace garage rope photo was recently posted to social media by FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass. Pockrass shared the picture of the garage to Twitter where he said the image was taken in 2019 when the garage was allotted #21 Wood Brothers Racing team. Paul Menard was the racer who occupied the stall before being replaced by Matt Crafton during the race. 

Also Read | Bubba Wallace interview: Highlights NASCAR's Unity After Noose Incident Proven To Not Be A Hate Crime

(Image Credits: NASCAR, Bob Pockrass Twitter Handles)

18:55 IST, June 25th 2020