CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) – NASCAR has opened an investigation into how an offensive message was broadcast on the Bubba Wallace team’s radio channel during last weekend’s All-Star race.
Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black driver in the Cup series, had just finished Sunday’s race at the North Wilkesboro Highway when a non-23XI driver said over the radio, “Go back to where you came from. ” and then add another person who is not racist. obscene.
NASCAR spokesman Mike Forde said on Wednesday the series immediately had its racing and security electronics teams look into the hack. He said Wallace didn’t hear the comment.
Forde said NASCAR is trying to determine who cracked Wallace’s radio communications and how it was done, as well as the best method to prevent that from happening in the future.
Forde said the investigation is ongoing and will take place regardless of the nature of the comment.
“We definitely take that seriously, no doubt about it,” he said. “But we can’t let fans interfere with the team’s radio and potential competitive effects.”
Wallace’s 23XI Racing team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NASCAR said earlier this week that there were no plans to fine Wallace after he appeared to make an obscene gesture in front of the camera ahead of a live interview with Fox Sports.
Wallace, who hails from Alabama, in 2020 successfully called for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at its events.
He’s unafraid to use his platform, but it comes with detractors and scrutiny, including a noose found in his Talladega Superspeedway garage stall after he called for a ban on flying the Confederate flag.
The FBI ruled that the garage zipper was indeed styled like a noose but coincidentally it was in Wallace’s line and he wasn’t the victim of a hate crime.
