Bubba Wallace: You won’t see Confederate flag ban protesters tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets

Last Monday’s Geico 500 at Talladega was NASCAR’s first race with fans since banning the Confederate flag.

Though none were permitted in the stadium, the flag was still on display. Somebody flew a plane over the track with a Confederate flag banner that read “Defund NASCAR,” and the parking lots were littered with them.

Bubba Wallace, a vocal advocate in getting the banners banned, was unfazed by the demonstrations outside the racetrack.

“It’s their right to peaceful protest my man, so it’s part of it,” Wallace said on FOX Sports. “But you won’t see them inside the racetrack where we’re having a good time with the new fans who have purchased their tickets, purchased their favorite driver’s apparel. You won’t see it flying in there. Outside they’re just going to be making a lot of noise. You know, it’s part of it. It’s exactly what you see on the flip-side of everything going on in cities as they peacefully protest. But you won’t see cops pepper spraying them and shooting them with rubber bullets, will you?”

Wallace is the only Black driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series. In the days leading up to the ban, he made it clear why he believed there was no place for Confederate flags at the track, but still anticipated the backlash.

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race,” Wallace said on CNN. “So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them. There’s going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly, but it’s time for change. We have to change that, and I encourage NASCAR — we will have those conversations to remove those flags.”

It was a tumultuous week for Wallace in Alabama, as a pull rope shaped like a noose was found in his garage on Sunday night. An FBI investigation determined that Wallace wasn’t targeted though, as the rope had been hanging that way since last year.

“It’s been an emotional few days,” Wallace said in a written statement, which he tweeted out. “First off, I want to say how relieved I am that the investigation revealed that this wasn’t what we feared it was. I want to thank my team, NASCAR and the FBI for acting swiftly and treating this as a real threat. I think we’ll gladly take a little embarrassment over what the alternatives could have been. Make no mistake, though some will try, this should not distract from the show of unity we had on Monday, and the progress we’ve made as a sport to be a more welcoming environment for all.”