Ryan Blaney held on to the lead after a restart with two laps to go yesterday (Monday) to win the NASCAR Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.
The day began with Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black full-time driver, being joined by all 39 other drivers and their crews in a march down pit road as they pushed his No. 43 to the front of the line in the moments before the race.
The gesture came one day after a noose was found in his garage stall. When they reached the front line, Wallace climbed out of his car and wept.
In the race Blaney nipped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the finish line for his fourth win and first since Talladega in October. Stenhouse Jr. came in second followed by Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.
Wallace finished 14th.
During a post-race interview he wasn’t wearing a mask so the person who left the noose would know, “you’re not gonna take away my smile.”
And the call of the final lap.
