Bubba Wallace Thanks NASCAR, FBI 'For Acting Swiftly' Despite Backlash

Despite having earned the ire of some detractors for pulling off a seemingly exaggerated response to what turned out to be a mistaken noose, Bubba Wallace is not one to dwell on the hate. The controversial car race driver instead saw the silver lining as he heaped praises on NASCAR and FBI for “acting swiftly and treating this as a real threat."

Wallace has expressed his appreciation for the immediate investigation launched while saying that he thinks “we’ll gladly take a little embarrassment over what the alternatives could have been," per a report from TMZ Sports.

The 26-year-old was on the receiving end of harsh criticisms and was even accused of lying after the FBI probe found out that the suspected noose was actually a garage door pull rope, which was already at garage number 4 as early as October 2019.

But while he has opted to prioritize the positive side of the incident, Wallace admits that the backlash somehow sparked a slight temper in him but stressed that none of it will ever stop him from standing up for his principles.

"The backlash will always be there. It doesn't matter if we provide 100% facts and evidence, photo evidence, people are gonna photoshop it to make me look like the bad person at the end of the day. I will always have haters. I will always have motivators to go out there and dethrone me from the pedestal that I am on," he said in an interview with CNN.

"This will not break me. None of the allegations of being a hoax will break me or tear me down.

"It will piss me off, absolutely. But that only fuels the competitive drive in me to shut everybody up."

Amidst the hullabaloo caused by the badly timed mix up, Wallace says it should not get in the way of the actual progress in their fight for social justice and equality.

"Make no mistake, though some will try, this should not detract from the show of unity we had on Monday, and the progress we've made as a sport to be a more welcoming environment for all,” he said.

Summing it up, Wallace said he is relieved that the result of the probe was not what they “feared” it was. It may be labeled as an overreaction, but the only full-time Black driver in NASCAR is hoping that a strong statement is still served as he continues to combat racism in the organization.