The Confederate flag is about as prominent at NASCAR races as the actual races on the track.
Though NASCAR has taken steps to help phase it out, some fans still bring the Confederate flag with them to the track. In the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody late last month, it has brought up the conversation about race and racism in the United States and whether it’s time for NASCAR to take a much harder stance.
Bubba Wallace, the only black driver who races full-time in NASCAR’s top three series, wore a shirt with Floyd’s last words “I can’t breathe” before the race.
The following day, he appeared on CNN with Don Lemon and said the Confederate flag has no business being at NASCAR races.
“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags,” Wallace told CNN on Monday. “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.”
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“What I’m chasing is checkered flags, and that was kind of my narrative,” Wallace said, “but diving more into it and educating myself, people feel uncomfortable with that, people talk about that — that’s the first thing they bring up.”
“We should not be able to have an argument over that,” he said. “It is a thick line we cannot cross anymore.”
The Confederate flag is widely seen as a racist symbol in the United States.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, races are currently being run without fans and there is presently no timetable for fans to be able to return to the grandstands and infield camping spots at races this summer.
