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Mike Wallace: NASCAR Driver Describes Brutal Beating After Charlotte Concert, Assailants’ Business Hit By Online Trolls

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 08:48 PST, Jun 21, 2016

NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, 57, and his daughter Lindsey Wallace Van Wingerden were assaulted last Friday in a parking lot after attending a Rascal Flatts concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now, Wallace is describing the horrific beating and the injuries he suffered, the Washington Post is reporting.

Wallace was chatting with a stranger when two other men in their mid-20s, weighing 200 pounds each and towering six feet or more, allegedly attacked him and beat him into a state of unconsciousness without any provocation.

His brother, Kenny Wallace, confirmed the story.

“Mike was talking to one of the three men and then, out of nowhere, one came after Mike like a crazy man. Mike was knocked out completely cold. While he was on the ground, they continued to beat him, kicking him in the face.”

Van Wingerden, in an attempt to protect her father, had thrown herself on his body. The vicious attack did not stop; the men shifted their attention to Van Wingerden, kicking her repeatedly in the ribs.

Father and daughter were taken to a hospital. While Van Wingerden was treated for minor injuries, Mike lost a tooth, suffered a concussion, and received 12 stitches on his mouth. He also posted a picture of his bloody face on Facebook, with his daughter strapped to a stretcher in the background. The NASCAR driver has cautioned about talking to strangers who look highly intoxicated.

He said in his post that the ambulance driver took a picture of his face after he “had been knocked out and had the crap beaten out of him.” He thanked friends and family who had prayed and protected him from getting an even worse beating. He said it was astonishing that the men who had beat him and his daughter were out of jail while they were still recuperating in the hospital.

Three men have been arrested for the assault: Paul Lucas, Nathan Lucas, and Randolph Magnum.

They were subsequently released on bond. However, as people learned of the vicious assault, word got around that the white truck the men drove to the concert carried the business name of Lucas Landscaping – Indian Trails on the door. The Yelp page for the business has been slammed with negative comments. Before the incident on Friday, there were only two reviews both rated a single star, less than 24 hours after the incident, a total number of 42 reviews had been posted.

Most of the reviews carried a solitary star and a few carried two stars, with one reviewer cheekily giving the rationale behind awarding two stars.

“They get two stars because their brutality is just a hair above a savage.”

Other reviewers directed insults at the Yelp page calling it “garbage” and “barely carbon based.” One user had written “hope jail time is fun for you” and called the men “a***s,” but then left the Lucases five stars, which was rather baffling.

Mike Wallace comes from a family of race car drivers. His brothers, Rusty and Kenny Wallace, are retired, but Rusty won the Winston Cup in 1989. Mike, on the other hand, enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He raced in the NASCAR XFINITY series, making 494 starts where he enjoyed four victories, 22 top five positions, and 66 top 10 positions. The attackers are due in court July 22.

Rascal Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox said there was a pattern for these type of violent incidents during the summer.

“I think when you’re outside in the heat and people are out drinking and listening and having a good time, I think they don’t know when to shut it down before it’s too late.”

Levox said it was crucial that everyone look out for each other.

He added, “I know people don’t like to get involved, but you know sometimes it behooves us to walk up and say, ‘Hey what’s going on there?’ We need to take care of the situation.”

[Photo by Will Schneekloth/Getty Images]

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