Abiding by the Confederate Flag Ban Inside Talladega Grudgingly
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
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
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Hell with nascar an the one racist driver
NASCAR is for hillbilly sister fuckers who can’t read
Confederates were the enemies and traitors to America. Sore losers always disagree. Germany had same problem after nazis lost
Everytime I hear the words "diversity" and "inclusion" I want to fucking vomit.
See all of those racists with their Confederate HATE flags!? Why doesn't the government make them the HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS THAT THEY ARE AND DRONE STRIKE THEM ALL!!?
Don't piss off the boys from Alabama, you know they won't let it slide…
Stop hiding behind this heritage excuse, I grew up in Georgia and every person I ran across with that flag is a blatant racist even down to their kids.
Nascar is done..
Fuck the confederacy they killed American soldiers fought against America u fucking Benedict Arnold's I just took a shit on a Confederate flag while I was typing
I already took a shit on a Confederate flag and wiped my ass with it
What is wrong with having the American flag why warship a flag that killed American soldiers who fought against America fuck the confederacy and God bless America
The peace terms agreed by both sides at the conclusion of the civil war do not require the removal or destruction of flags. NASCAR is effectively violating those terms – this organization does not have the right to do that.
Banning free speech and promoting fake racial injustice to show how woke they are. NASCAR is a joke!
If they ban the confederate flag because it represented slave states. Then every state that had slaves has to change their flags. Ban them all. It is part of American History, you can not ban history or change it.
All the issues going on in northern states do not have this flag soooooo what's their excuse?
The flag should remind all of us where we were and how far we have come. It is the heritage — on all sides.
The battle flag is are heritage and so was NASCAR but they are done . may the flag fly for ever .