NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag After Black Driver Demands Action

For the first time since its inception 72 years ago, NASCAR is banning the Confederate flag from its events – a symbol which now “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”

pic.twitter.com/gJkIfVf3Ba

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 10, 2020

The move comes one day after the the first full-time Black NASCAR driver in 25 years, Darrel “Bubba” Wallace, called on the organization to ban the flag which serves as a reminder of the days when southern Democrats owned slaves.

According to NPR, the 26-year-old Wallace wasn’t offended by the Confederate flag until he ‘made an effort to educate himself on what the flag signifies for many people, according to NPR.

“What I’m chasing is checkered flags, and that was kind of my narrative,” Wallace told CNN in a Monday interview. “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.”

“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags. 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,” he added.

“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags,” says NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace after throwing his support behind the nationwide protests against police brutality. “Get them out of here.” https://t.co/Kf4CrMLLGh pic.twitter.com/wSSBhByguS

— CNN (@CNN) June 9, 2020