COMMENTARY: The Time Was Right For NASCAR's Confederate Flag Ban

NASCAR banned the display of the Confederate Flag at its race events and venues yesterday, saying its presence “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”

That decision comes during a tumultuous period for both our sport and our country, with the recent murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis, MN police officer reopening the ongoing debate over equal rights, racism and discrimination against people of color.

Controversy surrounding the Confederate flag is not new to our sport.

In the 1950s and `60s, NASCAR openly embraced the flag, using it in print advertisements for races like the Southern 500 and Dixie 500. A character known as “Johnny Reb,” dressed in a Confederate uniform and waving the Stars and Bars, appeared regularly in Victory Lane ceremonies of that era, creating a perception of our sport that we have struggled mightily to shake.

Five years ago, the issue moved to the front burner when nine black churchgoers were murdered in Charleston, South Carolina by Dylann Roof, an admitted white supremacist who had published photos of himself posing with the Confederate Nazi flags. Then-NASCAR CEO Brian France said at that time, “We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag. I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we feel about it and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way.”

"Johnny Reb" was once a part
of NASCAR.

The sanctioning body and its member speedways offered to exchange Confederate flags for American flags, but there were relatively few takers and the symbol remained a common sight at race events.

Until yesterday, NASCAR lacked the willpower to put verbs in its sentences.

That has changed now, and our sport is sure to change as a result.

Let’s be clear about one thing. NASCAR has no interest in telling you what to think, or what to believe. You can proudly display the Confederate Flag at home, if you choose to do so. You can celebrate whatever that flag means to you -- Southern Heritage, racism, white supremacy, whatever – in your own backyard, but you can no longer do so in NASCAR’s yard.

A much-needed line has finally been drawn, and it will be enforced.

I have a major disconnect with those claiming some God-given right to fly the stars and bars at NASCAR races. Regardless of the long-contested history and "real meaning" of that particular symbol, I fail to understand why anyone would willingly – and in some cases, gleefully -- choose to do something that makes others feel threatened and unwelcome.

It’s like walking into a Jewish Synagogue waving the swastika. Whether you have the right to do it or not, it’s  the wrong thing to do.

No matter what it may once have meant, the Confederate flag was long ago appropriated by a group of people whose hate-based goals were simply to intimidate, discriminate and demean. You don’t need to fly the Confederate Flag to enjoy a NASCAR race, any more than you need to burn a cross or hang a mannequin in effigy. And effective immediately, you will no longer be able to do any of those things on track property.

The past few days have been difficult for a lot of us. I have personally had to accept the fact that a number of people I know, respect and consider friends are, in fact, unapologetic racists. I have seen statements made in the last 24 hours that truly and sincerely boggle my mind, from people I consider friends. Wholly and completely at odds with my belief that all men are indeed created equal, those statements both sadden and disappoint me. I look at those people differently than I did just a few days ago, and my circle is smaller as a result.

NASCAR will almost certainly lose some fans in the aftermath of yesterday’s decision. But sometimes, you have to pull some weeds to let the grass grow. The time has come to decide -- once and for all -- who we stand with and what we stand for.

Racism has become so ingrained in our society that today, being anti-racist is often mistaken for being anti-American. It’s time for that to change.

And change it will.

NASCAR’s ban of the Confederate Flag will not be the final word on the topic. There has already been some degree of backlash within the racing community. Jason Beam, whose company -- Beam Designs -- paints custom helmets for a number of NASCAR drivers, tweeted “ignorance wins again” in response to yesterday’s announcement, while Truck Series driver Ray Ciccarelli has vowed to sell his team at season’s end to protest  the move. 

NASCAR offered no details on how they will police their newly announced ban, and at least in the short term, that effort may prove uncomfortable. But make no mistake about it, NASCAR and its member speedways have both the right and the ability to remove patrons who refuse to follow the rules. People who conduct themselves badly have routinely been removed from the premises in seasons past, and this will be no different.

There is never a wrong time to do the right thing, and NASCAR’s decision to remove the Confederate Flag from its venues is both correct and long overdue.