Even if you don't know NASCAR, you probably now know the name Bubba Wallace. He's the only Black driver in the sport's top series who the FBI determined was not the target of a hate crime after a noose was discovered in his garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday.
And if you've been following this storyline at all, then maybe you saw the moments. You know, those clips of the entire sport _ all the drivers, crew members and even 82-year-old NASCAR Hall of Fame member and team owner Richard Petty _ pushing Wallace's car to the front of the starting grid for Monday's race, and standing with the No. 43 driver for the national anthem in a show of solidarity against racism.
"That, to me, was the coolest story of it," driver Joey Logano said about the week.
He called Monday a "history-making day." Others in the sport said they felt the same.
"It was a significant moment for me and I've been in the sport for 30 years," NASCAR team owner and former NBA player Brad Daugherty said. "You always wonder who is on board _ in anything, any movement."
"And when you see a movement like this," continued Daugherty, who is Black, "and you're looking through that garage area and you're looking at the faces, and 99% of those faces are not the same as mine or Bubba's, you wonder who really has your back."
Daugherty's unspoken question was answered on Monday when the sport walked behind Wallace in a show of solidarity. It was an act that arose organically, initiated by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who told other drivers in a group text that he wanted to stand next to Wallace for the anthem. Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick then suggested the pre-race march. Other drivers got on board, and so did all the teams.
"When I looked up and saw those guys pushing that race car out, I mean, it brought tears to my eyes," Daugherty said. "Because it made me realize that when I walk into that garage area, that's my home. I'm welcome there."
Even competitors who have had run-ins with Wallace on the track, such as Alex Bowman and Aric Almirola, were quick to show their support.
"Tempers are gonna flare if you run into the same guy a couple weeks in a row here and there," Bowman said. "It's not gonna go great for your relationship, but that's as a race-car driver and that's on the racetrack."
"As a human being, I have a big appreciation for him trying to push us all to be better and speaking up and helping up do the same," Bowman said.
Wallace has become the face of the sport's push toward creating a more inclusive environment in a year that's rife with racial tension. He sparked NASCAR's recent ban of the Confederate flag, which was used in official positions in the sport's early history, and he has become an outspoken advocate for racial justice.
Wallace was the factor that sparked a group of about a dozen Black fans wearing "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts to show up to the race on Monday, but he isn't the only perpetuating change in the sport's culture. That pre-race moment with all the teams solidified that when any new fans show up to a NASCAR race, they'll be welcomed.
"I would tell (Black fans) don't be afraid," 36-year-old Errin Bentley, a Black fan who attended his first NASCAR race at Talladega for Wallace, told NBC Sports. "If they were afraid, you don't have to be afraid anymore."
Logano reiterated that message.
"We're not seeing color," Logano said. "It doesn't matter. Yes, we compete. Yes, we all want to win, and we don't care about anything but winning when we put our helmet on. But when our helmet is off, it's love. Choose love. Bubba and other minorities in our sport are part of our family."
Daugherty said the pre-race moment has impacted how those outside the sport view NASCAR as well. He said he was on a call with NBA players last week after the race and that, for the first time, he received a bunch of requests to watch a race in person rather than skepticism about the sport.
"It was hilarious," Daughterty said. "I've never had anyone in the NBA say anything other than 'Why are you in NASCAR?' and talk to me about what they saw. And the togetherness they saw."
"I think the significance is for people who don't really understand NASCAR and automatically paint it with this broad brush of being a redneck, racist, misogynistic sport that doesn't allow diversity or the elevation of females or any of that," Daugherty continued. "And it makes them open their eyes and take a look."
He added that he's going to be putting in "about a hundred" requests to NASCAR for garage access and pit passes for new fans, and said that, just like the pre-race ceremony, seeing Black fans supporting Wallace after the race was a necessary moment of symbolism for the sport.
"I saw those fans leaning against the fence and I was like, 'Man, this is awesome,' " Daugherty said. "This is what we need."
Wallace might be the lone face standing out among others right now, but if the sport continues trending in an inclusive direction behind him, he won't be one of a few for long.
"It's gonna be great to see a sea of color as well as being embraced by our Caucasian brothers and sisters while we're there," Daugherty said. "And maybe we can get back to being about race, but the human race."
