NASCAR: Noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage area at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- NASCAR released a statement Sunday evening confirming that a noose was found in the garage area of the #43 car at Talladega Superspeedway.

The #43 car is driven by Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver in the Cup Series. Wallace has been outspoken in the wake of social justice protests, driving a car with a 'Black Lives Matter' paint scheme at a recent race.

Wallace also led the push to have the Confederate flag banned from NASCAR events.

NASCAR put out the following statement:

"Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team. We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act. We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport. As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR, and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all."

Wallace responded on Twitter late Sunday night.

"Today's despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism," Wallace tweeted.

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega was postponed until Monday because of weather.