NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs ban on Confederate flag
Source: AP - Washington's Top News
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCARs most popular driver, called the Confederate flag offensive to an entire race Friday while voicing his support for it being removed from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.
<snip>
Jeff Gordon, Earnhardts teammate, added that Hendrick Motorsports has long prohibited any merchandise that uses the Confederate flag symbol.
Read more: http://wtop.com/motorsports/2015/06/nascars-dale-earnhardt-jr-backs-ban-on-confederate-flag/
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)exploded by now,,,, this should get the rest of them!
underpants
(182,879 posts)He is in the trilogy for them.
Let's not forget- NASCAR serves mainly as a marketing instrument at this point.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)This might piss them off more than the gay marriage ruling.
cloudbase
(5,525 posts)to give him the Dixie Chicks treatment.
durablend
(7,464 posts)Skittles
(153,193 posts)yes INDEED
RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)... this is an important, potentially influential statement.
That said, I totally agree with Skittles above. It's offensive to way more than just an entire race. How anyone can whitewash (and I use the term advisedly) this flag's heinous history and malevolent message is beyond me.
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)I am sure that there are many other NASCAR drivers who would do the same thing. As a matter of fact, NASCAR came out and said something. Not that they would prohibit people from flying it at their campsites, just that they would not allow it on any cars, sponsors, or the like. And the team that Earnhart drives for, Hendrick Motor Sports, has prohibited the confederate battle flag from being used on any of its cars or merchandise for some time, according to Jeff Gordon.
I could probably name a dozen current drivers who feel the same way as Dale! The thing is, Dale has the biggest fan following of all NASCAR drivers (at least he did for the past few years). You know that a lot of them will listen to him.
bluedigger
(17,087 posts)Allmendinger earned the top starting spot during Saturday's knockout qualifying with a lap 96.310 mph around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile course. It's the first pole for JTG Daugherty Racing, which earned its first berth in NASCAR's championship race last year when Allmendinger won on the Watkins Glen road course.
That puts the pressure on Allmendinger, who knows the races at Sonoma and in August at Watkins Glen are likely his best chances to earn a spot in the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/13159342/aj-allmendinger-wins-pole-road-course-race-sonoma
Posted here because:
1 - They always bounce my OP's from LBN
2 - NASCAR
3 - JTG Daugherty Racing is Brad Daugherty's team - the only Black owned team in NASCAR. Nice time to win a pole!
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Our country is in a rough spot, and were going to need some serious change. Theres only one candidate ready to deliver it and thats Barack Obama.
Every day I talk to someone else whos never voted for a Democrat, but now theyre voting for Barack Obama. They realize that Barack understands what were going through here in North Carolina. And theyre ready for change.
So Ive made up my mind, and Im ready to get involved. I know that I could never have won a race without my pit crew, and I know Barack cant win this one without us.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)NASCAR chairman wants Confederate flag eliminated at races
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer | June 27, 2015 | Updated: June 27, 2015 7:35pm
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) Calling the Confederate flag an "insensitive symbol" he personally finds offensive, NASCAR chairman Brian France said the sport will be aggressive in disassociating the symbol from its events.
"We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag," France told The Associated Press on Saturday. "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.
"We're working with the industry to see how far we can go to get that flag to be disassociated entirely from our events."
Earlier this week, NASCAR said it backed South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's call to remove the Confederate flag from state capitol grounds, and noted that it bars the flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity.
More:
http://www.chron.com/sports/article/NASCAR-chairman-wants-Confederate-flag-eliminated-6353432.php
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom