The deadly shootings that occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, last week have caused numerous public figures and professional organizations alike to speak out against gun violence and racial discrimination. It also forced the state to reconsider continuing to fly the Confederate flag on statehouse grounds — state Gov. Nikki Haley announced Monday that she supports taking the flag down permanently.
On Tuesday, a perhaps unlikely ally in the fight against the flag spoke out.
In statement, #NASCAR expresses support for removing the Confederate flag from S.C. statehouse grounds.
— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) June 23, 2015
The official statement, per NASCAR officials:
“As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of life last week in Charleston, we join our nation’s embrace of those impacted. NASCAR supports the position that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took on the Confederate Flag on Monday. As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events.”
Clearly NASCAR, which has very strong Southern roots, has come a long way since this:
NASCAR's official stance is a pretty sharp departure from its earlier days, like this 1976 Darlington program. pic.twitter.com/wQOUHMCajt
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) June 23, 2015
(Via Yahoo Sports)
