NASCAR Bans Confederate Flags From Races, Bubba Wallace Praises Move

On Monday, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace said that he wants NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from races in order to fight racism and show support for the protests across the country. 

On Wednesday, a decision was made by NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from its races. In a statement, NASCAR said that the Confederate flag being at races goes against their beliefs as a company. “[It] runs contrary to our commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” the said in a statement. 

Wallace, prior to finishing eleventh at Martinsville Wednesday night, said that this is a great step for NASCAR. “Bravo. Props to NASCAR and everybody involved,” he said. “This has been a stressful couple weeks. This is no doubt the biggest race of my career tonight. And it couldn’t be at a more perfect place, where I got my first win in the Truck Series in 2013. Followed it up with that second win in 2014. So I’m excited about tonight. There’s a lot of emotions on the race track and off the race track that are riding with us, but tonight is something special. Today’s been special. Again, hats off to NASCAR. [NASCAR president Steve] Phelps and I have been in contact a lot, just trying to figure out what steps are next. And that was a huge, pivotal moment for the sport. Lot of backlash, but it creates doors and allows the community to come together as one, and that’s what the real mission is here. So I’m excited about that.”