A day after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state Capitol NASCAR restated its policy Tuesday against displaying the flag and showed its support for the Governor’s position. The statements come less than a week after a 21-year-old white man gunned down nine people at a historic African American church in Charleston.
Support for the Confederate flag to come down has come from leaders around the state and around the country. The debate has been steadily growing in the wake of the deadly attack. NASCAR’s policy has been in place for several years.
“As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of life last week in Charleston, we join our nation’s embrace of those impacted. NASCAR supports the position that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took on the Confederate Flag on Monday. As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events.”
NASCAR’s longstanding policy “prohibits displays of the Confederate flag on its cars, uniforms, licensed merchandise or in advertisements. There’s no official ban on spectators bringing flags to the track, or wearing T-shirts decorated with the symbol MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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