Race Weekend Central

NASCAR, ISC Release Statements on Governor Haley’s Confederate Flag Position

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate Flag flying over the South Carolina State House on Monday. The announcement was made days after a mass shooting that took place at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Nine African-American congregants were murdered in the racially-motivated act.

On Tuesday, NASCAR released a statement announcing their support of Governor Haley’s position. It reads as follows:

“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.”

International Speedway Corporation, which owns and operates Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, also announced their support for the position on Tuesday.

“We join NASCAR in support of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s position on the Confederate Flag,” ISC President John Saunders said. “ISC strives to ensure all fans are welcome to enjoy our events and maintains an inclusive environment at our facilities nationwide. ISC will continue our long-standing practice to prohibit the sale of Confederate Flag material on our property.”

While no rule changes have come about in the aftermath of the mass shooting, it should be noted that both NASCAR and ISC support the governor’s decision. The legislature in Columbia voted Tuesday in favor of debating the movement of the Confederate Battle Flag, currently located on state capitol grounds after being relocated from the top of the capitol’s dome in 2000, but a final decision will not be known for weeks.

About the author

Sean returns as a ringer in 2017, contributing once a month because he (gasp!) is living it up in the big city without internet. While he's not consuming race news on the Twitter app and reddit he's writing a ton of short stories and paying the bills by working in marketing.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

2 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tim S.

I wonder how many more things will have to be removed or concealed so as not to offend someone.

Carl D.

Just a short rant from a life-time resident of South Carolina…

As much as the mainstream media wants you to believe that white person in SC is a confederate flag-waving racist hell-bent on clinging to the Jim Crow past, it’s simply not true. While we have our share of racists (all states do), most of us have lived together, gone to school together, and worked together our whole lives and treat each other with respect regardless of race. While some still fly the confederate battle flag for whatever reason, most people, myself included, see it as a symbol of the past that has no bearing on our present lives. Personally, I could care less if the flag is flown or not… to me it’s a piece of cloth on a pole. However, many people see it as a symbol of oppression and I get that, and the last thing we need right now is something else to divide us. Removing the flag from the statehouse grounds is simply the respectful thing to do at this point in our shared history. With that said, I feel strongly that Nascar has made its position clear to any who may associate stock car racing with an outdated negative stereotype.

Share via