NASCAR And The Decision That Changed The Race For The Presidency

In a sign of the rapidly shifting attitudes towards institutional racism and inclusion in America, on Wednesday, the nation’s premier auto racing association announced that it would ban the presence of Confederate flags at its competitions and properties effective immediately. The announcement comes days after the only African American racer in one of America’s most popular sports, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, announced that he believed the symbol should no longer be permitted.

“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said in a written statement released prior to its race Wednesday night at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

The announcement by NASCAR comes in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands and knees of Minneapolis police officers. The protests also took aim at various symbols of the Confederacy, the group of southern states that seceded from the United States in the country’s Civil War. The Confederate flag has long been seen as a symbol of the pro-slavery Confederacy, and as a result is deeply offensive to many.

While NASCAR had previously requested fans not bring Confederate flags to races, the offensive symbol has nonetheless been a ubiquitous presence, particularly in southern states. On Monday, Bubba Wallace was direct in his criticism:

“My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags,” Wallace said in an interview with CNN. “No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”

Three days later, NASCAR agreed.

The announcement by the racing giant came on the same day when the Confederate flag was in the news elsewhere. Following decisions by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, two of the major branches of the U.S. armed services, to ban the flag from all public spaces and work, the Army seemed poised to do the same. Additionally, there is a growing movement among veterans and advocates to rename ten military bases in the southern U.S. that are named after Confederate generals, including Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Benning in Georgia, and Fort Hood in Texas.

Yet, in a tone-deaf rebuke of this growing movement, President Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he rejected the renaming of the bases, and said “we will not even consider” changing the names. Trump’s Tweet came just three days after a spokesman for the Secretary of the Army said “[t]he Secretary of the Army is open to having a bipartisan conversation regarding the renaming” of the bases.

NASCAR’s decision to repudiate the symbols of the Confederacy, juxtaposed against President’s decision to defend them, stand in stark contrast to one another. And while it might be easy to see the President’s approach as blatantly political in a tough reelection campaign, it is NASCAR’s decision that shows a greater understanding of where the country and its citizens are headed. No doubt that NASCAR’s decision also factored in financial implications of allowing an offensive flag to fly. But in banning the Confederate flag, NASCAR took a stand not only on what its racers and many of its fans want the racing organization to be, but what NASCAR itself believes is important — creating a space where everyone, regardless of their race, can feel safe and included.

With his full-throated defense of Confederate symbols, President Trump is perpetuating an idea of a divided America in which the long, painful, and racist history of America is reinforced by symbolism instead of being relegated to the history books. That is not the America that a majority of its citizens want to be a part of, and as many polls seem to indicate, a majority of Americans are prepared to repudiate both the President’s ideas and the President himself. 

Before Sunday’s race in Atlanta, NASCAR President Steve Phelps delivered a message to both the racers and the sport’s fans.

“Our country is in pain and people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard,” Phelps said. “The black community and all people of color have suffered in our country, and it has taken far too long for us to hear their demands for change. Our sport must do better. Our country must do better.”

By making the decision to ban the Confederate flag, NASCAR is helping lead its sport and its fans into the next, better chapter of the nation’s history, particularly when it comes to issues of racial justice. But if NASCAR’s decision is any indication of what is to come, it might actually be the decision of its fans at the ballot box in November that will truly mark the finish line of a presidency.