NASCAR fans booed driver Bubba Wallace when he was introduced at the qualifying event Thursday for the All-Star race and cheered by many after he crashed.
The black driver was caught up in the recent incident in which a rope "noose" was discovered in the racetrack garage to which he was assigned. He was outraged and generated support from other drivers, which was amplified by the protests of the death of George Floyd.
But the FBI, after sending more than a dozen agents to investigate, concluded the "noose" actually was a rope pull. They found there was no hate crime, because the rope had been there for months before Wallace arrived.
Wallace still has many defenders, but he apparently has lost some fan support
The Gateway Pundit blog posted video of the fan reaction Thursday in Bristol, Tennesee.
The introduction and the crowd's response:
And his crash:
A big crash involving @BubbaWallace and @Mc_Driver!
Our first caution of the night is out in the All-Star Open at @BMSupdates. pic.twitter.com/W8OoykuuFs
— NASCAR Alerts (@NASCAR_Alerts) July 15, 2020
AP reporter Jenna Fryer said Wallace was "booed when he was introduced, and many cheered when he crashed."
Bubba Wallace was also booed when he was introduced, and many cheered when he crashed. NASCAR still has a lot of work to do to back up its position. The group Justice 4 Diversity held signs along Speedway Blvd. after the race.
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) July 16, 2020
Wallace successfully lobbied for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag, a popular image among racegoers.
One Twitter user wrote: "I believe there needs to be separation between those who dislike Wallace because of his flag stance and those who dislike Wallace because of his arrogance, foul mouth and overall poor character. Not everyone who boos Wallace is a confederate flag supporter."