In 2018, Darrell Wallace Jr. will become the first African-American to race full-time on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in over 40 years. Many racing fans understandably are thrilled about seeing more diversity in the sport.
Others remain mired in complete ignorance.
Brent Nottestad, a high school golf coach in Cambridge, Wisc., resigned Thursday after sending a string of racist tweets at Wallace, according to the Cambridge News and Deerfield Independent. It all started Wednesday, when Wallace tweeted a statement urging people to “accept” and “enjoy” seeing a black driver in NASCAR.
Well, Nottestad isn’t about to do either of those things, apparently.
Nottestad sent three more offensive tweets, but they’ve all been deleted from Twitter. The Independent did transcribe them before they were deleted, though.
“Hey @BubbaWallace. Please quit with, ‘I’m black’ bs,” Nottestad wrote, via the Independent. “You’re terrible. There are 1423 more credible drivers to get that ride than you.”
That last remark is particularly noteworthy, as many believe it’s a reference to the Southern Brotherood, an Alabama-based white supremacist group that often uses 14/23 as a numeric symbol.
Wallace responded directly to that tweet:
“Wow, I feel truly sorry for your kids. Again…to have so much hate towards somebody you’ve never met,” Wallace wrote. “Hope your kids grow up to be the exact opposite of a father you are…”
Nottestad then brought up Wallace’s recently deceased grandmother.
“Granny Jan die in a police shooting?”
Nottestad finished by commenting on a photo of Wallace and a white NASCAR fan.
“Almost looks like going to the zoo,” he wrote.
While Nottestad deleted his most recent racist tweets, you don’t have to dig too far to realize this is nothing new for the 42-year-old.
The tweets quickly went viral, and eventually were brought to Cambridge High School’s attention.
“The Cambridge School District was made aware of several offensive comments made on social media by Cambridge High School boys’ golf coach, Brent Nottestad,” Cambridge Superintendent Bernie Nikolay said in a release Thursday, via the Independent. “After a meeting between Mr. Nottestad and school district officials this morning, Mr. Nottestad resigned his position with the district, effective immediately.”
Nottestad reportedly graduated Cambridge High in 1993 and had been the school’s boys’ golf coach since 2014.
