Bubba Wallace spent time talking with NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Tuesday discussing some of the events of the last few days at Talladega Superspeedway.
Wallace reveals his emotions before the race, the quip Richard Petty told him to help settle his emotions before climbing into the car and celebrating with fans at their first race after the event.
Here is part of the conversation Wallace and Earnhardt had for NASCAR America at Home:
Dale Jr.: What were you thinking as drivers pushed you down pit road before the race?
Bubba Wallace: I had walked out with headphones on just to kind of block out the noise and just kind of escape. Music is my escape, Dale. I forgot who came and tapped me, maybe it was (Corey) LaJoie or someone told me, ‘You ready to roll?’ I think that was when kind of the emotion came through … (That morning) I woke up and jumped on (the driver group chat) and Jimmie Johnson said ‘I’ll be standing next to Bubba during the anthem today’ and I lost it, I lost it right there. It’s not the hate that breaks me, it’s the support, knowing that people out there support me, makes you feel good, it pulls on your heartstrings for sure.
So I think that’s kind the emotion I was running through that whole time. So getting out of the car, I had a lot of emotion there, just going through everything. It sucks to be kind of carrying all of that weight but it’s part of the journey. Being able to turn around and see all the drivers standing there was really cool. I don’t know what made me look and see if the whole garage was there. Jimmie had talked to me about it. He had called me a couple of hours before the race and said that people reached out and wanted to be a part of that. So I stood up on the door and I looked and saw basically the entire garage and I lost it. I stood up and almost collapsed. It looked like Atlanta all over again (laughs).
But man, it was something truly incredible to witness and to be a part of. It makes me proud to have a voice in NASCAR and also be a driver and be a part of this sport, a family sport and we all know it’s family. As much as we give each other crap on the racetrack, I will say for a fact, word for word, I got out of the car and I said I don’t like half you guys but I do appreciate all of this (laughs). It was a true testament of how big a family sport this is.”
Dale Jr.: Tell me a little bit about NASCAR President Steve Phelps. Who is he to you?
Bubba Wallace: He’s becoming a bigger and bigger friend than he is … the president of the sanctioning body. I fired off a text message to him a couple of weeks ago. One of the first things I said, ‘Hey, I look at you as a friend, so if I say anything that offends you, we’re friends.’ … I told him we need to take a big stand. We needed to take a big stand and stand up for what’s right. He quickly called me right after that and we had a really good conversation of where he stood and where he wants the sport to go and where he wants us all to go as a whole. That was pretty powerful there.
“He’s been very transparent with me. … The conversation that I had about what went down Sunday was, one, scared the hell out of me because he called me and it was one of those like you just did something wrong, like, my mind was racing, what interview did I do did I say the wrong thing … he was like we needed to talk in person. He comes over to the bus and he walks in and he’s kind of got of that really quiet mellow voice. I said, ‘Hey Steve, how is it going?’ (He said) ‘not good.’ …
“When he finally looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes. I don’t know what’s going on, what he’s about to say, what I’m getting at is showing how much Sunday meant to him and offended him and hurt him, showed the character that he is and the passion that he has behind the sport but also his drivers and his friends. That he was disrespected, he was hurt, he felt threatened. He was not going to let this get away and blow under the rug. He was going to do everything in his power to find justice for this and to this day he is still carrying that and even beyond.”
Dale Jr.: What is your personal support system like? Who is helping you through this?
Bubba Wallace: One, Amanda, my girlfriend. She has been super supportive. … She knew how much pressure and how much I was going through from Sunday throughout the race, everything that went on the whole pre-race, just the whole couple of days and couple of weeks I’ve been going through. … She has been a huge support so I love her for that. My mom, my sister and my dad. They’ve been all been there. …
“Talked to (Ryan) Blaney a lot. He was over here last week and we had a good conversation, talking about everything that is going on in the sport and the world, how crazy it is and what we could do to be better. I think that small little support group there on top of everybody reaching out, including yourself. … It’s cool to see that support.”
Dale Jr.: What has it been like to see new fans come to the sport?
Bubba Wallace: Man, that has been really cool. I think that was a powerful moment even after the race. I was pumped for Blaney. I was contemplating walking out to the finish line and I was like that’s a long walk. I’ll wait until he drives by. I heard the Bubba chants and I looked over and I see a decent amount of African Americans sitting in the stands. I was like, dude, that’s badass, that’s awesome. I guarantee you that was their first race. I felt obligated to walk over there, I wanted to walk over there. I wanted to kind of share that moment with them.
“They were like, ‘We’re all the way from Atlanta, we drove over here to check out our first NASCAR race,’ and they were all so proud of me and proud to be there and happy to be there and it was super cool to witness and be able to do the interview with them in the background screaming and hollering in support was super cool.
“I’ve been saying it for the last couple of weeks and I’ve always stood by this, I want everybody to feel welcome. When I go to a sporting event, when I go to a (Charlotte) Hornets game or a (Carolina) Panthers game, I don’t feel like I’m unwelcome because of who I look like. I want that same feeling for anybody that comes to a NASCAR event, that comes to a race and … the Confederate flag was a thing that kind of held people back and maybe the actions of some fans toward other people held people back. I’m trying to change that narrative and show, hey, come on out. You don’t have to cheer on me. You can cheer on Ryan Blaney, whatever. … Learn about the sport. Learn about the strategy. Know that we’re just not driving in circles because we’re driving on ovals. We go straight a little bit. Learn the pit stops, what it takes, the choreography of that. Learns the ins and outs of the sport. That’s where you get hooked.”
Dale Jr.: Is racing a necessary outlet for you at these times?
Bubba Wallace: Absolutely. I told Jimmie (Johnson) after the race, we were walking back to our buses, I told him, man, I wish that race didn’t end, it was a lot of fun. Now the work starts. Racing is not work and you know that.
“(Richard Petty) The King, right before I climbed in, he said, ‘Well, this is your chance to flip off that switch on the back of your head where we shut our brains off and go out.’ He said here’s that little switch you can pull off. We had talked about it when he got there to the track a couple of hours before with him, myself and Brian Moffitt (CEO of Richard Petty Motorsports) were sitting there and talking. Drivers have that switch. Once you put that helmet on it, it hits that switch down and you turn it off. He said, now you get to turn off that switch, so go have fun.”
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office stated Tuesday that no federal hate crime was committed with the noose found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace‘s team on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp stated:
“On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway. After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed.
“The FBI learned that garage number 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week. The investigation also revealed evidence, including authentic video confirmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019. Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.
“The decision not to pursue federal charges is proper after reviewing all available facts and all applicable federal laws. We offer our thanks to NASCAR, Mr. Wallace, and everyone who cooperated with this investigation.”
NASCAR stated that every garage stall was checked and only one had a noose as part of the rope to pull down the garage door. NASCAR plans to check every garage stall before teams arrive at each event.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a brief teleconference with reporters Tuesday night that he was thankful that there was no crime but NASCAR would continue to investigate why the rope was fashioned into a noose.
“For us at NASCAR, this is the best result we could hope for,” he said. “This was disturbing to hear that it was thought that one of our own had committed this heinous act. It is fantastic to hear from the FBI definitively that there was not a hate crime. I do want to make sure that everyone understands that if given the evidence we had, was delivered to us (Sunday) night or late Sunday afternoon, we would have done the same investigation. It was important to do. There is no place in our sport for this type of racism or hatred. It’s not a part of who we are as a sport.
“I want to make sure everyone understands that our portion of this with the FBI, we were very cooperative as you would expect. We provided them with roster information, photographic and video evidence that aided them in their conclusions. Additionally, the industry was very supportive. Not just the members of (Wallace’s) team.
“I want to be clear about (Wallace’s) team. The 43 team had nothing to do with this. The evidence is very clear that the noose that was in that garage had been in the garage previously. The last race we had there in October (2019), that noose was present. The fact that it was not found until a member of the 43 team came there is something that is a fact. We had not been back to the garage. It was a quick one-day show. The crew member went back there. He saw the noose, brought it to the attention of his crew chief, who then went to the NASCAR (Cup) Series Director Jay Fabian and we launched this investigation.
“To be clear, we would do this again. Of the evidence we had, it was clear that we needed to look into this.”
Phelps went on to discuss Monday’s show of unity from drivers and crew members for Wallace before the race.
“I also want to talk about (Monday),” he said. “(Monday) to me as a sport was one of the most important days we’ve had. It’s one of the most kind of indelible print on my mind until the day I die, seeing the support that Bubba had from not just the drivers but all the crews, all the officials who were down in pit road, anyone who was part of that footprint. Everyone wanted to show their support for a family member of NASCAR. We are one big family. We are one large community. And everyone’s belief is that someone was attacking a member of our family.
“It turned out that that was not the case, but at the time that’s what our industry thought, so drivers, crews, our officials, everyone supported Bubba Wallace and the 43 team, and that was a very powerful image in not just the history of our sport but I think in all sports.”
Phelps took no questions from reporters.
Immediately after the statement from the FBI and U.S. Attorney, NASCAR issued a statement:
“The FBI has completed its investigation at Talladega Superspeedway and determined that Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime. The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall. This was obviously well before the 43 team’s arrival and garage assignment. We appreciate the FBI’s quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing.
The Wood Brothers issued a statement with regard to having that garage stall in 2019.
STATEMENT ON THE COINCIDENCE OF OUR STALL FROM 2019 AND THE INVESTIGATION pic.twitter.com/SJgKus8o8T
— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) June 23, 2020
NASCAR has issued just one penalty from its Talladega race weekend.
In the Xfinity Series, Andy Street, crew chief on Anthony Alfredo‘s No. 21 Chevrolet, was fined $5,000 for one unsecured lug nut. Alfredo finished sixth for his third top-10 finish of the season.
1) With the regular season at the halfway point, what Cup driver or team has impressed you the most?
Dustin Long: Ryan Blaney. First year with crew chief Todd Gordon and has been in position to win multiple races. Team has been fast from the start.
Daniel McFadin: Brad Keselowski. He’s working with a new Cup crew chief for the first time in a decade and he hasn’t faltered much, winning twice, including the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time.
Jerry Bonkowski: Chase Elliott has had an up-and-down season at times, but he has been solid since NASCAR returned from the pandemic. He very easily could have three wins and maybe even four if it hadn’t been for his crash at Darlington. If he can keep his momentum going, he’s definitely a championship contender.
2) What Cup driver or team has surprised you the most in the first half of the regular season?
Dustin Long: John Hunter Nemecheck and Front Row Motorsports. He was overshadowed by the others in the rookie class going into the season but has shown well and has seven top-20 finishes in the first 13 races. Not sure if a lot of people would have predicted that at the start of the year for Nemechek and his team.
Daniel McFadin: Cole Custer and not in a good way. He was my pre-season pick to be the best rookie out of the gate and he’s done nothing to back it up, earning just one top 10 and finishing in the top 15 just once in the last nine races.
Jerry Bonkowski: Team Penske in general and Ryan Blaney in particular. I’ve been very impressed with Blaney particularly of late. He’s earned a win at Talladega and six top-five finishes in the last seven races.
3) Who would be your pick for top Cup rookie at this point in the season?
Dustin Long: Tyler Reddick has been the standout this season and the rookie who has run more consistently at the front.
Daniel McFadin: Tyler Reddick easily. He’s the only rookie with a stage win and he has three top 10s, including a top five, through the first 13 races.
Jerry Bonkowski: Tyler Reddick, who is the highest-ranked rookie in the Cup standings, with one top-five and three top-10 finishes. I really like what I’ve seen from Reddick. But I’ve also been pleasantly surprised at the performance of fellow rookie John Hunter Nemechek.
4) Which driver or team do you think can make the biggest improvement from the first half of the regular season to the second half?
Dustin Long: I’m waiting to see what Matt Kenseth and the No. 42 team will do. After finishing 10th at Darlington in his first race back, Kenseth has not finished better than 15th since. With the way the Chevys are strong this year, got to think his results will turn around soon.
Daniel McFadin: I think Alex Bowman is going to put together a solid back half after a rather disappointing output since NASCAR returned. He has two top 10s in the last three races, but that followed a stretch of only one top-15 finish over four races when he had a car capable of winning in both Charlotte races. He has lots of promise, he just needs to put together complete races.
Jerry Bonkowski: Jimmie Johnson has had some strong performances during the first half of the season. He already has two top-five finishes in the first 12 races, just one less than he had in all of last season. And he is already halfway [six] to the number of top-10 finishes he had all of last season. I firmly believe it’s just a matter of time before he breaks his three-plus year winless streak.
This weekend marks the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has held a doubleheader weekend at one track.
The premier series will compete in two races at Pocono Raceway, the 2.5-mile triangle speedway in Pennsylvania.
It will be preceded by the Truck Series on Saturday and the Xfinity Series on Sunday.
Here are the entry lists for both days.
Saturday
Cup – Pocono Organics 325 (3:30 p.m. ET on Fox; 130 laps/325 miles)
Forty car are entered.
Josh Bilicki is entered in Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 7 Chevrolet.
JJ Yeley is entered in Rick Ware Racing’s No. 27 Ford.
James Davison is entered in Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet for both Cup races. Saturday will be his Cup debut.
Click here for the entry list.
Trucks – Pocono Organics 150 (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1; 60 laps/150 miles)
Forty trucks are entered.
Defending race winner Ross Chastain is entered in Niece Motorsports’ No. 40 Chevrolet.
NBC Sports analyst Parker Kligerman is entered in Henderson Motorsports’ No. 75 Chevrolet.
Brandon Jones is entered in Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 51 Toyota.
Click here for the entry list.
Sunday
Cup – Pocono 350 (4 p.m. ET on FS1; 140 laps/350 miles)
Forty cars are entered. All 40 drivers/cars are the same as for Saturday.
Click here for the entry list.
Xfinity Series – Pocono Green 225 (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1; 90 laps/225 miles)
Thirty-six cars are entered.
Brett Moffitt is entered in Our Motorsports’ No. 02 Chevrolet.
Ryan Vargas is entered in JD Motorsports’ No. 15 Chevrolet.
No drivers is listed for DGM Racing’s No. 36 Chevrolet.
No driver is listed for B.J. McLeod Motorsports’ No. 99 Toyota.
