Throughout the late evening and overnight hours we have been able to assemble definitive proof the NASCAR story of a noose hanging in the garage of drive Bubba Wallace is a hoax. [Background Here]
When the race team of Bubba Wallace arrived at Talladega Speedway in Alabama, he was assigned to garage stall #4. After reviewing prior video of that specific garage bay, at that specific speedway; and after reviewing a picture released yesterday showing the FBI investigators on the scene; it is clear the “rope noose” in question was nothing more than a manual garage door pull-down with a hand loop tied into it.
As you can see, the portion of the rope that shows the hand loop (aka “noose) in 2019 was cut off in 2020. The rope did not break, it was cut. The question then becomes was this a mistaken interpretation or an intentional effort to create the appearance of targeted hate?
The answer to that question becomes clear when you look at the same rope on the adjacent stall, #5. A full picture (shown below) shows the pull-down rope on the stall next to Bubba Wallace also contained a hand loop tied into it. However, it is clear from the kinks in the rope the hand loop was untied. Likely by the same person who cut-off the “noose” on stall #4 being used by Bubba Wallace’s crew.
(Click Images to Enlarge – Or see original Here)
It appears the hand loop (“noose”) in garage stall #5 was untied in order to facilitate the perpetuation of the claim for the hand loop (“noose”) cut-off in Wallace’s stall #4.
A review of the exact garage bay/stall in November 2019, six months prior to the arrival of Mr. Bubba Wallace’s team, shows the hand loop as it most likely existed when the team arrived:
(SOURCE)
That is the “hand loop” that was cut from the manual garage door rope and presented by the team of Bubba Wallace and NASCAR as evidence of a “noose”. This simple garage pull-down is what all of the racial stories have surrounded.
Again, here’s the side-by side comparison. In the November 2019 picture the pull-down hand loop is present, and in the 2020 picture taken Monday (with FBI officials) it is not.
It is important to note that virtually every single manual garage door at Talladega speedway has these ropes and hand-loops tied into them for use as pull-downs. They now appear to have been purposefully mistaken for “nooses.” (see more here)
However, it’s not just Bubba Wallace and NASCAR officials driving this hoax.
To give some perspective it’s worth looking at how Auto Weekly framed a completely false racial component. Note: Matt Weaver is the Associate Motorsports Editor for Auto Week USA and Auto Week Racing:
History won't remember the racist and incorrigible act committed by someone on Sunday at Talladega.
Instead it will remember how the NASCAR community rose to the occasion to support one of their own. Here's how #IStandWithBubba was conceived and received.t.co/ciudf9W0G2
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverAW) June 23, 2020
When Mr. Weaver was confronted with the evidence that Bubba Wallace’s claim was based on a clearly fabricated story, Weaver immediately responded jaw-agape by saying he had asked NASCAR about the possibility of the “noose” being a simple garage door pull down rope and NASCAR confirmed to him it was not:
This presented a rather unusual scenario because it is absolutely demonstrably true the “noose” was actually a simple garage door pull down rope.
With a multi-billion NASCAR corporate identity and credibility on the line we provided even more specific evidence to Matt Weaver showing the comparison of 2019 to 2020.
When provided with the absolutely incontrovertible evidence, immediately, this happened:
Now things are really interesting; because not only is a multi-billion NASCAR credibility on the line, but so too is the credibility of a major publication, Auto Week Racing, that relies on their relationship to the auto racing industry and NASCAR.
Either NASCAR was lying to Auto Week, or Mr. Matt Weaver from Auto Week was falsely attributing a position and denial claim to NASCAR.
After CTH presented those two scenarios to a very interested public. Mr. Weaver was forced to, well, lets be kind, clarify his claim:
Funny how the truth cuts through the agenda of related interests.
So NASCAR President Mr. Steve Phelps doesn’t deny the “noose” was a simple garage door pull-down rope. Apparently, the previous attribution to NASCAR by Mr. Weaver was “misunderstood”…. uh huh… when the reality is Phelps “has no information on that.”
I share that dialogue exchange because it’s important to understand the scale of the multi-billion vested interests that surround this now international scandal based on accusations of fake hate; a racially driven hoax. There are lots of credibility and money at stake.
So with all of that context the big questions now surround motive. What would be the motives for the NASCAR team of Bubba Wallace to create a racially divisive hoax? What are the benefits and what would they accomplish?
Additionally, what would the motives be for NASCAR to promote a racial hoax with the intensity we have witnessed over the past two days? What would be the motive of NASCAR President Steve Phelps?
Perhaps a discussion between NASCAR President Mr. Phelps and Auto Week Racing editor Mr. Weaver will provide an answer:
[…] It’s no secret that NASCAR could begin to take on a new look come 2021. The league is anticipating schedule diversification, a revamped entitlement sponsor program and the continued evolution of television-digital rights.
And for the first time since the decline of NASCAR’s mainstream popularity began, the sanctioning body is publicly admitting what Phelps is calling a headwind — the challenges major league stock car racing will face as it looks to discover its place in modern American pop culture.
[…] “The relationships we have with NBC is incredible, so we entered into a joint advertising with them that allows us to be in more places with the same voice. There are a lot of incredibly positive things happening on the quote business side of NASCAR.”
[…] “We do know that the race-day experience or the race-day weekend is really important, so we’re working with our tracks to have them understand that, and we need to reinvent what I would call the event promotion and what that looks like. And that gets back to a collaboration effort which we are going to see to between our racetracks, NASCAR, our broadcast partners and our teams and drivers in order to promote this sport in a way we haven’t in the past.” (read more)
Well, with a NASCAR goal to “discover it’s place in modern American pop culture” what better way to “promote this sport in a way we haven’t in the past”, than to go in search of a new audience. Perhaps the social justice community.
What would be the fastest way to engage a new “pop culture” audience? Perhaps, just perhaps…
Together.#IStandWithBubba pic.twitter.com/achL5H70Ng
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 22, 2020
I digress.