DANBURY, NC – A North Carolina racetrack owner announced the sale of “Bubba Rope” on a social media market days after NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who is black, announced that a rope had been found in his garage at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Mike Fulp, the owner of the half-mile 311 Speedway in Stokes County, launched on Wednesday at the Facebook Marketplace: “Buy your Bubba Rope today for just $ 9.99 each, they come with a lifetime warranty and work great. “
Fulp followers on Facebook criticized his announcement, and some loyal viewers described themselves as saying they would stop attending events on the dirt track because of the post. More critical comments appeared on the circuit’s Facebook page on Thursday.
No one answered the phone at the road course on Thursday and the inbox was unable to accept a message seeking comment. The announcement had been withdrawn before noon on Thursday.
A Facebook post on the Fulp page announced Monday that the circuit sponsors a “Heritage Night” on Saturday. A subsequent post at the event encouraged fans to purchase a variety of items, including flags and Confederate caps, adding: “Don’t forget your Second Amendment right, 311 Speedway.”
NASCAR officials released a photo Thursday of the rope found Sunday at Wallace’s garage stall that sparked a federal investigation, which determined it had been there since October.
The incident placed racism front and center in NASCAR, which two weeks ago banned the Confederate flag from its venues and races at Wallace’s behest. It also sparked criticism from some fans that NASCAR had overreacted in some way, criticism the sanctioning body cited when posting the photo taken by NASCAR security.
NASCAR moved quickly and by Monday, FBI agents were on the Alabama track. Authorities on Tuesday said the rope had been used as a door handle since last fall and was therefore not a hate crime against Wallace, 26.
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