The Rascal Flatts concert at Charlotte, N.C.’s PNC Pavilion had just let out, two days before Father’s Day.
Amid the flood of fans rushing to their cars was fifty-seven-year-old NASCAR driver Mike Wallace walking with his daughter Lindsey Wallace Van Wingerden. As they wandered to the parking lot, Mike began chatting with a stranger. Later, in an anguished Facebook post, Mike warned others not to talk to people who appear to be intoxicated.
In the middle of his conversation, that man, along with two others in their twenties — all six feet tall or taller and weighing more than 200 pounds each — allegedly attacked Wallace, knocking him to the ground, knocking at least one of his teeth out, and finally knocking him unconscious.
“Mike was talking to one of the three men and then, out of nowhere, one came after Mike like a crazy man,” his brother Kenny Wallace, told the USA Today. “Mike was knocked out completely cold. While he was on the ground they continued to beat on him, kicking him in the face.”
In an attempt to shield her helpless father, Van Wingerden threw herself on his unconscious body. Instead of stopping the attack, though, the men simply shifted their focus and began kicking Van Wingerden in the ribs, Kenny told the USA Today.
Both father and daughter were rushed to an area hospital for treatment. Mike received 12 stitches in his mouth and reportedly had a tooth dislodged and a concussion, while Van Wingerden was treated for minor injuries. Both have since been released, FOX Sports reported.
Mike Wallace posted a photograph of his bloodied face and a picture of his daughter strapped on a stretcher along with his own account of the incident on his private Facebook page. A screenshot of the post was tweeted by Dave Moody, the host of Speedway on Sirius XM. It read in part:
I normally would not post personal affairs but this is to help and give advice to our friends, do not ever talk to a group of now what appeared to be drunk or drugged up young adult men or women when you’re trying to get in your car to leave the un guarded PNC amphitheater in Charlotte, NC parking lot after a good Rascal Flatts concert. This is what I looked like after I was knocked out and crap beat out of me. The ambulance driver took this picture we were just supposed to have a fun night. I want to thank my family and friends for helping to protect me from a worse beating as I layed unconscious on the ground.
What’s worse is three of guys that beat my family up were arrested and out of jail before we were out of the hospital.
The white truck they were driving had the business name of LUCAS LANDSCAPING – Indian Trails, NC on the doors….
Everyone please be careful in the future and take care of your friends that you go somewhere with.
According to police records on the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office website, Randolph Mangum, Paul Lucas and Nathan Lucas were all arrested around 11 p.m. on Friday — Nathan and Mangum for simple assault and Paul for assault on a female. All three were released on bond, Charlotte police spokesperson Keith Trietley told USA Today.
Police have not released a motive. While The Washington Post confirmed the arrests, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spokesperson Cindy Wallace said she could not confirm the name of the victim.
Even so, since the attack, the Yelp page for Lucas Landscaping has been overwhelmed with negative comments. Before the incident, the page contained only two reviews — both one star, though one of them states “1 star is too much for them.” No one answered the phone at the business.
After the incident, 42 new reviews were posted. Most are one star reviews, though a few include two stars (often with reasoning — one user stated, “They get two stars because their brutality is just a hair above a savage”).
Most of the posts included insults directed toward the Lucases such as “barely carbon based,” “garbage” and a request to “pull that single wide away.”
One user wrote “hope jailtime is fun for you” and called the Lucases “a——-,” but confusingly left 5 stars.
Mike comes from a family of race car drivers. Both of his brothers — Kenny and Rusty Wallace — are retired NASCAR drivers, and Rusty made a splash by winning the Winston Cup in 1989. Mike’s nephew Steve Wallace is also an active driver.
Finally, Mike himself has had a long and varied career on the track. According to FOX Sports, he has “made 197 starts with three top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, he’s made 494 starts, with four victories, 22 top fives and 66 top 10s.”
The three alleged attackers are ordered to appear in court on July 22.
