© Adam Hagy | 2018 Feb 23
One of the most popular professional sports in the southern United States is banning a symbol that many of its fans still see as a sign of southern pride.
After over five years of discussing their desire to distance themselves from the prevalence of Confederate flags at events, NASCAR released a statement on Wednesday officially banning the flags presence in any form at their events. Here’s the statement in full.
“The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
This comes two days after Bubba Wallace, the circuit’s only Black driver, said in an interview that the league needs to do away with allowing the flag at events.
“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags,” Wallace told CNN. “No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.
“There’s going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly, but it’s time for change,” he said. “We have to change that, and I encourage NASCAR — we will have those conversations to remove those flags.”
Former NASCAR chairman Brian France said in 2015 that he wanted to take steps to ban the flag, angering many fans.
The next NASCAR race is at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on Wednesday night in front of no fans. Wallace will drive a car with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in the race to promote racial equality.