Richard Petty ‘enraged’ by noose found in his NASCAR team’s Talladega garage

Richard Petty reacted to a noose being found in his team’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR team owner Richard Petty responded to a noose being found in the garage stall of his No. 43 Chevrolet team Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway — news NASCAR broke Sunday night.

In a statement released by the team on Twitter Monday midday, the almost-83-year-old seven-time NASCAR champion described the incident as a “filthy act” committed by a “sick person” and called for them to be identified and “swiftly and immediately expelled from NASCAR.”

Although Petty has not been at a NASCAR race since its return during the coronavirus pandemic, he plans to attend Monday’s rain-delayed GEICO 500 to support Wallace, the only Black driver in the Cup Series, and his team, FOX Sports and ESPN reported.

In the statement, Petty said:

“I’m enraged by the act of someone placing a noose in the garage stall of my race team. There is absolutely no place in our sport or our society for racism. This filthy act serves as a reminder of how far we still have to go to eradicate racial prejudice and it galvanizes my resolve to use the resources of Richard Petty Motorsports to create change. The sick person who perpetrated this act must be found, exposed, and swiftly and immediately expelled from NASCAR. I believe in my heart that this despicable act is not representative of the competitors I see each day in the NASCAR garage area. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Bubba, yesterday, today, tomorrow and every day forward.”

Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet ran a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme — which Petty helped design — at Martinsville Speedway on June 10, the same day NASCAR banned the Confederate flag. Wallace has also worn a “I Can’t Breathe/Black Lives Matter” t-shirt on pit road before races.

However, in 2017 in response to the continued debate about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem to peacefully protest racial injustice and police brutality, Petty told USA TODAY Sports in 2017:

“Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period.”

RPM co-owner Andrew Murstein also released a statement, via FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass:

In NASCAR’s statement Sunday night, it said it opened an investigation into who committed such a hateful and racist act, which the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and the Department of Justice are currently reviewing.

“We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act,” NASCAR said, in part, in its statement. “We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport.”

Wallace reacted publicly to the news minutes after NASCAR broke it Sunday night. The 26-year-old driver’s statement was similar to Petty’s, reflecting on what this act of racism means on a broader scale than just NASCAR. But the driver also said “nothing is more important” than forcing real, cultural change.

In part, Wallace said:

“As my mother told me today, ‘They are just trying to scare you.’ This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in.”

Several NASCAR drivers and executives have expressed their support on Twitter for Wallace, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney and NASCAR executives Steve O’Donnell and Eric Nyquist. He’s received praise and support outside of racing as well, with LeBron James and Billie Jean King among the other athletes who have spoken out.

NASCAR’s Cup Series race Sunday at Talladega was postponed to Monday because of rain. It will begin at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

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