Column: NASCAR rallies around Wallace in poignant moment

re is escaping it: NASCAR is a white-dominated sport with a predominantly white fan base and a longstanding reputation as being far from inclusive. Its evolution, such as it is, has been halting and awkward. One step forward, seemingly a half step back.

stock car series listened to Bubba Wallace — far from first to ask — and banned Confederate flag from its events earlier this month. In some sports, that might have been eugh.

t in NASCAR; everyone figured some fans would igre it and force someone to somehow enforce ban.

one figured on what came next and that was this: NASCAR held a race on Monday while federal nts were a stone’s throw away trying to find out who left a ose in Wallace’s gar stall at Alabama's Tallega Superspeedway.

It could have been lowest point in NASCAR's 72-year history.

Inste, drivers fought back to protect ir im, ir sport and ir friend. In one of

Drivers don't do this often. y can be friendly or even best friends with each or, but feuds and rivalries are real. It's a solitary sport. last such instance of solidarity came 22 years ago when late Dale Earnhardt finally won his only Daytona 500 and crews lined pit ro to high-five him as he heed to victory lane.

This was a far different and far graver situation as every one of 40 teams on grid lined up to defend Wallace as well as ir series in an effort to show y do t and will t tolerate racism.

moment evolved on drivers’ group text when seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson said he planned to stand next to Wallace during national anm. Ors said y’d join, n Kevin Harvick suggested y all push Wallace’s car to front of grid. Crew members caught wind of plan and wanted to participate.

Johnson wasn’t sure how moment would develop or how many planned to participate. But when he looked behind him Monday, all 39 of Wallace’s rivals and ir team members h joined procession.

“When I woke up (Monday), re news ... my blood was boiling. I could t believe that that h happened,” Johnson said. "As momentum built and awareness of statement gar was going to make, how many people reached out, how many people wanted to be involved, it shifted to just great pride for our sport.”

same group chat led to a

“ sport is changing,” a smiling Wallace declared after Monday’s race, where he finished 14th after a strong showing before

26-year-old Wallace remains a rarity for NASCAR, which officially launched a diversity program in 2004. It helped Wallace make it to Cup Series, as well as Daniel Suarez, who is Mexican, and Kyle Larson, who is Japanese. But promotion rate from program to NASCAR’s top series is low. Aric Almirola, who is of Cuban descent, started with a diversity program ran at time by Joe Gibbs Racing.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a Mississippi native who for almost his entire career has worn state flag on his firesuit, said he removed it a few weeks ago because it includes Confederate flag.

“I’ve always been proud to be from Mississippi. I’ve always supported or wore flag on my belt. I’ve never really thought of it offending anybody,” Stenhouse said. “Obviously with everything that’s going on in country, with rebel flag, learning really how it offends so many people, I don’t intend to do that. We wanted to take initiative to take that off before we felt like somebody wanted us to.”

re are likely more challenges ahe.

Given limited access rules in place right w across NASCAR, it is possible that person who left ose that was discovered Sunday by a crew member for Wallace's race team was standing on pit ro with him during show of support. Wher FBI and NASCAR will find perpetrator is an open question; whomever it is faces a lifetime ban from sport along with potential hate crime charges.

For w, drivers will try to stay on offense. y say y are determined to stand with Wallace and show this generation is a far cry from any racist good 'ol boys of NASCAR's past.

Ryan Blaney, one of Wallace's closest friends since childhood, won at Tallega after a sleepless night in his motorhome. Wallace h come to him and told him about ose and Blaney “felt a mixture of anger and sness for him, confused how anybody could do something like this.”

“You can’t let some idiot trying to threaten somebody, you can’t let that affect you,” Blaney said. “If you let it really eat away at you, that person wins, those people win. I don’t want it to be remembered as a terrible day or a b day in NASCAR. I want it to be remembered as re was an incident and we all overcame it toger, showed that we were t going to take it anymore.”

Im credits: AP