Two days after Bubba Wallace, the lone black driver in NASCAR‘s three national series, called for the sanctioning body to ban all Confederate flags at racetracks, the organization did just that.
“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,” NASCAR said in a statement Wednesday. “The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, on May 25 in Minneapolis. Protests have swept the United States since Floyd’s death, and Confederate monuments are being taken down across the South, the traditional home of NASCAR’s fan base.
Wallace commended the move before Wednesday night’s race at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.
“Props to NASCAR and everybody involved,” he told Fox Sports 1, which broadcast the race.
Source: ESPN
