Side-eyes. Slurs, whispered or snarled. Monkey noises. Disrespect and disregard. Throughout NASCAR’s history, minorities in the sport have endured all this racial bigotry and more, at track after track, even in their own garages.
They’ve heard the story of Marc Davis, a Black driver who left the sport shortly after an opposing crew chief allegedly used a racial slur. They heard Kyle Larson earlier this year drop a clear N-word while racing online. Just this past Sunday, they saw the procession of pickup trucks and an airplane openly, defiantly displaying the Confederate flag — a symbol that, for the Black community, is indisputably one of hate rather than heritage.