TALLADEGA, Ala. — Race fans in Alabama bristled on Sunday under NASCAR’s Confederate flag ban. But they weren’t willing to go to war. In the first real test of the ban, enacted this month, a reduced crowd attended a Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, one of NASCAR’s most culturally Southern tracks. Inside, spectators abided by NASCAR’s rules. Everywhere else, though, many of them waved the battle flag. Before the event, for instance, a small plane circled the speedway towing an enormous Confederate flag and a banner that read, “Defund NASCAR. ”Hundreds of cars adorned in battle flags assembled off site, then formed a two-mile caravan and drove past the track entrance in protest. “The idea is to do it when people are trying to get in the gate, ” said Johnny Wilson, 47, one of the caravan’s participants. He drove a Dodge pickup with Confederate flags flying from two tall poles in the back. In the end, though, nature rendered the conflict pointless: Rain and lightning led organizers to postpone the race until Monday afternoon. Soaked fans huddled under the grandstands before finally heading home. NASCAR banned the flag on June 10, saying it was “contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. ”Caravan participants objected to what they saw as an opportunistic decision by NASCAR, Wilson said. “With everything going on in the world, they’re just trying to get attention for themselves, ” he said. Inside the speedway, though — before the storm arrived — fans seemed to acquiesce to NASCAR’s wishes. Wilson, for instance, furled his flags before driving into the track’s parking lot. “I’m going to respect what NASCAR says because I’m a race fan, ” he said, and shrugged. He also, paradoxically, wore a hat celebrating Darrell Wallace Jr., 26, the racecar driver known as Bubba who is the only African-American driver in the sport’s top tier. Wallace, an Alabama native, instigated the flag ban by calling for it amid protests about racial injustice in the United States and the rest of the world, after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. He also changed the paint scheme of his racecar to feature #BlackLivesMatter logos. It was a subversive move. The paint jobs of stock cars are unique in sports because NASCAR fans do not passively absorb brands — they actively support them. If a favorite driver is sponsored by an energy drink, for instance, or a washing detergent, race fans will seek out those brands. After Wallace’s call, NASCAR made its announcement banning the flag. Some fans were furious because they see the flag as a part of their Southern heritage — not as a symbol of racism. NASCAR hasn’t always embraced its new spirit of inclusiveness, but in recent years its fortunes have declined. In 2013, for instance, when Danica Patrick started on the pole, the Daytona 500 drew 16. 5 million television viewers.

All data is taken from the source: http://nytimes.com
Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/sports/autoracing/talladega-nascar-confederate-flag.html

#nascar #newmovies #bbcnewstoday #bbcnewsworld #newsworldtoday #kingworldnews #

Abiding by the Confederate Flag Ban Inside Talladega Grudgingly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErEz4teApUk