NASCAR

My thoughts on NASCAR banning the Confederate Flag.

It’s about time.

I know for a lot of my friends here the Confederate Battle Flag does not mean anything negative, but for a lot of my friends it does mean something negative. While I do feel that anyone and everyone can display any flag or symbol of any meaning, positive or negative, as that is your 1st Amendment right. Nobody can tell you that you can’t display how you feel or what you believe in as long as it is on your body, property, or does not impede on anyone else’s ability to go about their day.

NASCAR is a private company that is trying to leave behind a past that is for people of color isn’t the best. From their treatment or, how they allowed the treatment of Hall of Famer Wendell Scott. Who was one of the best drivers at the time, and was one of the best to get the most out of his car. He had to use hand me down parts from the Petty’s and other drivers just so he could race. Because businesses would not sell him the parts he needed, or he would not get paid by track promoters the winnings he has earned. Heck even when he did win the lone race of his Cup career he had to be snuck out of the track in the trunk of the car because of the threat of violence against him.  He never received his trophy until 2010, except he past away ten years earlier.  NASCAR even held a rally at Talladega Superspeedway for George Wallace the racist Governor of Alabama at the time, and Jim Crow supporter.

It’s about freaking time.

If you are leaving NASCAR behind because they banned a flag so that others don’t feel uncomfortable or frightened when they come to the track. Instead of leaving because past things like how the Car of Tomorrow looked awful and raced even worse, the multiple changes to the points system, the way Brian France ran things. How hard it is for new teams to get involved and stay involved due to the financial burden it takes. Or for future reasons like the single lug nut, the car isn’t a “stock car” anymore, future schedule changes, or any number of reasons you will no longer watch anymore. Goodbye, you will not be missed and you will be forgotten about, but if your heart changes you will be welcomed back with open arms.

It’s about damn time.

I want NASCAR to be the biggest sport in the world. I want the starting grid to be the most diverse in all of sports. Motorsports is the only sport where men and women can compete on the same playing field at the same time. There have been great strides to make women more of a norm and you are starting to see that in the lower levels of racing and in a few years they will be a normal part of the upper series of NASCAR.
But for minorities we still have a long way to go. The road to where I want to see it go, starts just like we saw on Wednesday night. I saw more people interested in NASCAR than I can remember. My social media feeds were filled with new people checking out NASCAR for the first time. Ratings were up 103% from a race that last year that was held during the same week. Now I know NASCAR was the only sport on TV but still, we had more new eyes on the sport than ever before.
Our work is not over, and it is not just up to NASCAR to make the changes, we must follow their lead and shower the new fans with love and let them know that our past is what we were, not who we are now, and not who we will be in the future.

I love this sport it has been a massive part of who I am since I was 7. As my wife can attest to, I am always willing and happy to talk about it, to anyone who will listen.