It might not have been a noose meant to intimidate or threaten Bubba Wallace, but that is, by every definition, a noose.
But if what’s bothering you about this whole affair is that NASCAR’s initial statement wasn’t worded perfectly, and that the sanctioning body used strong verbiage and “jumped to conclusions” on what had happened as a means of showing support for the lone Black driver on its top circuit, some introspection is necessary.
Nooses aren’t common. They’re not even practical to use as a garage pull, since when you apply pressure the loop closes.