Safe to say he’s still not a Trump fan.
There’s some bad blood between President Donald Trump and NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace. The sport’s only black driver found himself in the middle of a firestorm back in 2020 when it was reported that a noose had been found in his garage during a race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
But after the FBI came in to investigate, they found that it was actually…a garage door pull, which had been there for months and had in fact been in that garage stall the last time the series was at Talladega too, when a different driver had used that stall.
Wallace wasn’t the one who discovered the “noose” or reported it, but he received a lot of the criticism from fans who believed he was using the racial “hoax” to further his own career. (Back in 2020, Wallace was driving for Richard Petty Motorsports and had yet to win his first Cup Series race).
One of those who criticized Bubba was then-President Donald Trump, who had attended the Daytona 500 earlier in the 2020 season and was now dealing with a country that was in the middle of riots and unrest all around the country following the death of George Floyd.
Trump chimed in on the “noose” controversy, calling on Wallace to apologize:
“Has Bubba Wallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”
Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
But Bubba doubled down on his claims that it wasn’t a hoax, telling CNN’s Don Lemon that it was noose whether it was a hate crime or not:
“It was a noose. Whether tied in 2019 or whatever, it was a noose. So, it wasn’t directed at me but somebody tied a noose. That’s what I’m saying.”
And Bubba also responded indirectly to Trump’s calls for him to apologize:
“Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE! Love over hate every day. Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS.”
To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps..#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/tVaV3pkdLe
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 6, 2020
Well Bubba has since gone on to driver for 23XI Racing, which is owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. And he probably avoided an awkward situation because his former team owner, Richard Petty, endorsed Trump during the 2024 presidential election.
But now, it’s reported that the president will attend the Daytona 500 in person on Sunday, five years after accusing Wallace of a hate crime hoax.
Wallace though, said he wasn’t thinking about Trump being at the race. During media day at Daytona, he was asked about the president possibly attending the race:
“Couldn’t care less if Trump shows up at NASCAR’s biggest race of the year. We’re here to race. Not for the show.”
If Trump does in fact show up, it will be his second trip to the Daytona 500 as the sitting president. Back in 2020, Trump served as grand marshal for the Great American Race, and even took the presidential limousine for a spin on the track during the pace laps, leading the field of cars behind him in a wild scene.
FLASHBACK: President @realDonaldTrump taking The Beast for a lap at the #DAYTONA500 in 2020! pic.twitter.com/2roDavN7Vg
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) February 19, 2024
The post Bubba Wallace Says He “Couldn’t Care Less” About President Donald Trump Attending Daytona 500 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.