The hashtag “IStandWithBubba” started trending Monday on Twitter after a noose was allegedly found in Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega Speedway.
Celebrities such as LeBron James, Jimmie Johnson and more tweeted their support for the 26-year-old black NASCAR driver after the FBI and Department of Justice announced an investigation was underway into the incident, per People magazine. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“Sickening,” Lebron James tweeted to his millions of followers. “@BubbaWallace my brother! Know you don’t stand alone! I’m right here with you as well as every other athlete. I just want to continue to say how proud I am of you for continuing to take a stand for change here in America and sports! @NASCAR I salute you as well!” (RELATED: President Trump To Attend Season-Opening Daytona 500)
Sickening! @BubbaWallace my brother! Know you don’t stand alone! I’m right here with you as well as every other athlete. I just want to continue to say how proud I am of you for continuing to take a stand for change here in America and sports! @NASCAR I salute you as well! https://t.co/1TwkjVHai5
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 22, 2020
“I can’t begin to fathom the pain this action has caused,” Johnson wrote. “I stand with you @BubbaWallace. https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/1274913263575347200 …”
I can’t begin to fathom the pain this action has caused. I stand with you @BubbaWallace. https://t.co/lV8v46ktWN
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) June 22, 2020
I’m irate after learning about the horrible, racist act committed yesterday at Talladega. Angry. Outraged. Disappointed. Those words don’t fully describe how I feel. #IStandWithBubba and I’ll damn sure stand up to anyone who engages in this kind of behavior. I’m beyond over it.
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) June 22, 2020
— Richard Petty Motorsports (@RPMotorsports) June 22, 2020
And before Monday’s race, video posted by Fox NASCAR showed fellow drivers pushing Wallace’s number 43 car to the front to show their support.
WATCH:
We rally around @BubbaWallace. Fellow drivers push his No. 43 car to the front in Talladega.#IStandWithBubba pic.twitter.com/n0YwN1qq5l
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 22, 2020
A message written on the tri-oval grass at Talladega read, “I stand with Bubba.”
#IStandWithBubba has been added to the tri-oval grass at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/cogyyCIxUR
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 22, 2020
Wallace even shared a picture Monday with the drivers that simply read, “Together.”
Together pic.twitter.com/D4zW3jA5y5
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 22, 2020
Wallace’s mother, Desiree Wallace, has since commented about the noose being found in her son’s garage and said it wasn’t her son’s “first incident.”
“This is not his first incident,” the race car driver’s mom shared on SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show.” “He’s been involved with incidents on the track. If he gets into it with another driver they’re quick to throw out the n-word.”
“He’s been told he doesn’t belong here…,” she added. “There were video cameras but there were not cameras where the noose was hung. See, everybody thinks there are cameras around there, they know who’s done it. Unfortunately it’s not that simple….It is an insider as far as NASCAR. I’m just praying that it’s not one of his team members….”