DAYTONA BEACH – Bubba Wallace stated he “could not care much less” if Donald Trump attends the Daytona 500 on Sunday, practically 5 years after the president accused the NASCAR Cup Sequence’ solely Black full-time driver of perpetrating “ a hoax ” when a crew member discovered a noose within the staff storage stall.
Trump urged in July 2020 that Wallace ought to apologize after the game rallied round him following the invention of the noose in his assigned stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Federal authorities dominated that the noose had been hanging since October and was not a hate crime. NASCAR and the FBI have referred solely to the rope — which was used to drag the storage door closed — as a noose.
Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing staff owned by Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin, declined to say a lot concerning the risk that Trump may return to NASCAR’s greatest race as a sitting president for the second time.
“We’re right here to race,” Wallace stated on the Daytona 500 media day. “Not for the present.”
A discover from the Federal Aviation Administration posted Monday indicated that Trump was anticipated to attend the race, however NASCAR stated Wednesday it had gotten no affirmation.
Wallace had responded on social media in 2020 to Trump calling him out, writing, “All the time cope with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE!… Love ought to come naturally as persons are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS. ”
Trump served as grand marshal for the 2020 Daytona 500 and gave the command for drivers to start out their engines. He additionally took a parade lap across the 2 1/2-mile speedway in his armored limousine, main the 40-car discipline earlier than the inexperienced flag. The presidential motorcade remained on the apron within the corners as a substitute of taking to the high-banked turns.
1000’s cheered and a band performed patriotic music when Air Drive One flew over the famed observe, a flyover that was concurrently proven on large screens. Trump’s presence energized followers and brought on big complications due to logistical points at entrance factors.
Trump, with first woman Melania Trump by his facet, addressed the group earlier than the race and referred to as the Daytona 500 “a legendary show of roaring engines, hovering spirits and the American ability, velocity and energy that we’ve been listening to about for therefore a few years.
Trump made historical past final Sunday as the primary sitting president to attend the Tremendous Bowl. He watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs from a collection after flying in with a gaggle of a few of his closest Republican allies in Congress, together with Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
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