Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 faced a brief delay due to inclement weather in Pennsylvania. This pushed the start time but also provided announcer Mike Joy with the opportunity to address a recent situation. He talked about driver Bubba Wallace and the recent FBI investigation into a rope with a noose fashioned on the end.
Joy took the opportunity to address the “noose situation” and how NASCAR reacted on Sunday evening. The noose in question was actually a garage door pull rope, which led to several people on social media alleging that Wallace and NASCAR created a hoax. Joy responded and said that this was not a possibility. He also said that NASCAR did not overreact after learning about the rope.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Pundits that don’t know Rusty Wallace from Bubba Wallace from Bubba Watson or Bubba Pollard have all weighed in as they tried to settle on the answers to two questions,” Joy said. “First, was this a Jussie Smollett-style grab for attention? Absolutely not! The drivers are not allowed in the garage area during the pandemic. Wallace never saw the noose, only was told about it.” Joy also explained that he believes NASCAR reacted appropriately considering that there were protesters outside of Talladega Superspeedway, as well as a massive Confederate flag flying over the track.
When he made these comments, some Twitter users responded by accusing the announcer of simply saying “whatever NASCAR tells him to say.” The vocal majority, however, used this as an opportunity to explain why Joy is their favorite announcer. They said that he truly understands the situation that took place earlier in the week and pleaded with critics to pay attention to his words.
โ
Mike Joy. LEGEND. ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ#PoconoOrganics325 #NASCAR https://t.co/vbqviiVHZW
โ Jamar Lewis (@JMar_lewis) June 27, 2020
Mike Joy, keeps getting better and better. https://t.co/7W8YYU6q7U
โ Jackson Tate (@jxntate) June 27, 2020
โ
Mike Joy continues to be one of the genuinely best people in nascar https://t.co/GrNHR2Xaf7
โ [Angry Skyscraper Noises] (@Connor___W) June 27, 2020
Mike Joy was awesome.
โ Mark Alan Benefiel (@mark_benefiel) June 27, 2020
โ
Just saw the open from FOX’s NASCAR coverage today. Why is Mike Joy so good? He explains complex situations (both on and off track) with class and reason, and always measures his words well. Bravo.
โ Jay Worlton (@JayWorlton) June 27, 2020
Dang Mike Joy really just attacked this situation head-on. Absolutely nailed the explanation of the entire week’s events. #NASCAR
โ Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) June 27, 2020
โ
Mike Joy has always been top tier. @mikejoy500 @NASCARONFOX @NASCAR
โ JenLars (@TheJenLars) June 27, 2020
We cannot sweep this away, but it is important to move forward. Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon provided a great push to that direction.
โ Daniel Vining, PixelatedSPEED (@DanielVining) June 27, 2020
Hopefully, we don’t have to revisit a similar scenario in the future.#NASCAR https://t.co/mgZcW15MnF
โ
Mike Joy will be remembered as one of the best NASCAR commentators to ever be.
โ Cory Harts (@simracer_cory) June 27, 2020
This dude is doing a very good job explaining the Bubba Wallace situation.
โ Robert O’Neill (@RobertONeill31) June 27, 2020
โ
Everything Mike Joy said is exactly what Iโve been saying. Sadly others wonโt take the blinders off and look at the big picture. https://t.co/tUEPqc1dbE
โ Daniel (@Raidger4) June 27, 2020
i love mike joy. handled that beautifully. hopefully this can get thru to peopleโs thick skulls
โ TCT (@TwoCarTandem) June 27, 2020
โ
Live look at Mike Joy pic.twitter.com/mqLnBoPSvj
โ Jon Iaccino (@ji711) June 27, 2020
Mike Joy telling it how it is https://t.co/D4x8w7G8Q6
โ Emerson Ardon (@EmersonJArdon48) June 27, 2020