Eh, I dunno. I think it would be hard to create a conspiracy at this level. I think it's far more likely to account for human nature in this process. I do that right up until the media gets involved, then I put on my tin foil hat.

Here's how I see it: Bubba has a crew that loves him. They go to the garage and see a "noose." They freak out because they are insulted on his behalf that there's a "noose" there. They contact officials at NASCAR who relay it up the chain of command immediately in an effort to get ahead of the "racist" narrative. Everyone else gets in front of the camera to insulate themselves against the racist narrative. The investigation comes back, and Bubba is in denial, because no one wants to be someone who caused that much controversy over nothing (which is a perfectly typical human reaction). After a day or two goes by, he copes with reality, and releases a statement that acknowledges he was wrong. Stand up move, imo.

I believe cancel culture has really worked it's way into the mind of the American. No one wants to be seen as racist, and, any time you get an event like this, you are going to see people rushing to absolve themselves, whether the accusation is true or not. This is more evidence that America is not racist.

---