Emotional Bubba Wallace after Talladega race: ‘You’re not going to take my smile’

“I’m proud to stand where I’m at,” Bubba Wallace said after the Talladega race.

At one point, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. was leading the NASCAR Cup Series race Monday at Talladega Superspeedway. Late in the 188-lap, 500-mile race, he was running third and looked like he might have a chance to win his first race at NASCAR’s highest level.

But his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports was running out of fuel, and the team knew he couldn’t make it to the end of the race, so he had to make a stop on pit road and lose his track position.

Ryan Blaney won his second consecutive race at Talladega, while Wallace came in 14th for his highest career finish at NASCAR’s longest and most chaotic track. But after the race, he said he felt like won Monday anyway.

“This is probably the most badass moment right here,” Wallace told FOX Sports during an on-track interview when asked how he’d describe his emotional day.

“The sport is changing. The deal that happened yesterday — sorry, I’m not wearing my mask, but I wanted to show whoever it was that you’re not going to take my smile. And I’m gonna keep on going.”

Sunday night after the GEICO 500 was postponed to Monday because of rain, NASCAR announced that a noose was found in the garage stall of Wallace and his team. The governing body described it as a “heinous act” and said it launched an investigation to figure out who is responsible for the racist act “and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport.”

NASCAR president Steve Phelps echoed that statement Monday while speaking to reporters on a conference call, saying: “Unequivocally, they will be banned from this sport for life. … I don’t care who they are, they will not be here.”

Wallace told FOX Sports:

“It’s been tough. It’s been hell. Eh, I wouldn’t say hell. It’s just been hectic carrying this weight, carrying this burden. I wouldn’t really say burden either. I’m proud to stand where I’m at.”

The NASCAR community rallied around Wallace before Monday’s race, showing its support on social media, painting #IStandWithBubba on the grass in the infield, pushing his car to the front of the field before the green flag and standing with him and his team during the national anthem.

Blaney, one of Wallace’s best friends, briefly spoke about what their friendship means, especially in tough times.

“It’s a tough couple days for him,” Blaney said in Victory Lane. “I’ve known him for 15 years, and he’s one of my best friends. I support him 100 percent of the way, and I can’t wait to go see him.”

Of the up to 5,000 fans allowed to attend the race, a small group gathered around the catchfence on the frontstretch of the track as Wallace walked toward them after the race. He high-fived the fans, some of whom had “Black Lives Matter” shirts on, and they continued cheering for him and chanting his name.

Wallace also spoke about his career-high finish at Talladega:

“I’ve been a part of this sport for a really long time. I’m still kind of a rookie, starting to figure this place out. We had a good race going today in our Victory Junction Chevrolet, but man, I know I should have won that damn race! We ran out of gas. Just the stars didn’t align for us completely, but all in all, we won today.

“The pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to witness in my life. All the supporters from drivers, from crew members, everybody here, the bad-ass fan base. Thank you, guys, for coming out here. It’s truly incredible, and I’m proud to be a part of this sport.”

NASCAR’s next race is Saturday at Pocono Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

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