It feels fake. It feels like this isn’t a story to headline the news in 2020. It feels like anything like this should be universally understood as not only wrong but truly demonic. It feels like this shouldn’t even be a discussion. Yet here we are.
Last night news broke around the sports world that Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only top-flight black driver was the target of a racist scare tactic at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. A noose was placed in Wallace’s garage stall and was found by a member of his 43 Team.
This act of racism has sparked a very high profile case to find the person responsible for the noose. The only slight positive of the situation is that with COVID-19 still in full effect, NASCAR has kept an extremely tight circle around who is actually around the facilities, so hopefully the person(s) responsible for this will have their lives ruined to the fullest extent of the legal and moral code.
NASCAR has recently worked with Bubba to ban the confederate flag from its parks. If you are unaware, the Confederate flag is the ugly F****** flag waved by people who know nothing of the genuine history of the flag. During the pre-show events for the race, a flag was flown over the track reading DEFUND NASCAR with a Confederate flag.
Now that I’ve given you all of the “formal” information needed for a blog of this magnitude I can get to the “opinion” part. Fuck these people.
NASCAR has always been a sport that a large majority of America just genuinely cannot connect with. Racing “feels” like a sport I was never invited to enjoy, and it’s honestly a bit crazy that the cast of The Idiot Hour decided to be “Big NASCAR Guys” before we were even aware of what would be coming in the next days.
NASCAR has made a giant push to be inviting to everyone, especially highlighted by the new found love from New Orleans Saints Running Back Alvin Kamara.
I can’t fathom reaching the highest peak of a professional endeavor, especially a sport, and being basically told you don’t belong. I can’t fully understand what Bubba Wallace, or any person that has every witnessed this type of hate and racism feels.
What we can do is make sure this stops.
What we can do is keep talking.
What we can do is be better.
What we can do is educate ourselves.
NASCAR is moving forward for a better world, and if you don’t believe me, the King has some words.
Oh, and turn on the race today and watch 43 do work. We’re witnessing history.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 