NASCAR said Wednesday the Confederate flag “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”
Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s lone black driver, called this week for the banishment of the Confederate flag and said there was “no place” for it in the sport. Wallace asked the stock car series with deep ties to the South to formally distance itself from what for millions is a symbol of slavery and racism.
Former Chairman Brian France in 2015 tried to ban the flying of Confederate flags at racetracks, a proposal too broad to enforce and one that angered NASCAR’s core Southern-based fan base.