The confederate flag still flew Friday at Daytona International Speedway, but not at the volume or frequency as in previous years.
A day after the 30 tracks that host NASCAR races issued a statement asking fans not to fly the flag at races – and offered to exchange flags if fans wanted – just eight flags were seen in the infield Friday during the first day of practice for Sunday’s Coke Zero 400.
“I think it’s appropriate for this country to celebrate the (American) flag on its birthday,” said Joie Chitwood III, president of Daytona International Speedway. “For us, (the request to fans) seemed like the right thing to do. From that perspective, I don’t think that’s divisive at all. I think that’s trying to provide an environment that’s inclusive.”
NASCAR doesn’t allow teams to use the Confederate flag or the stars and bars symbol, but fans – especially at venues in the South – have been known to fly the flag over motorhomes and campsites in the infield during races.
On Friday, just a handful of Confederate flags were seen in the infield at DIS, most in the campground inside Turn 3. Richard Petty, the seven-time NASCAR champion and owner of cars driven by Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish Jr., said he hadn’t noticed an increase or decrease in the number of Confederate flags being displayed on Friday at Daytona.
“I haven’t paid any attention,” Petty said. “Even now when I come and stuff, the racetrack is what I’m interested in. A lot of times someone asks me how good was the crowd. I don’t know. I didn’t even look at the grandstands.”
Controversy about the flag increased two weeks ago after nine African-American churchgoers were killed in a mass shooting in a church at Charleston, South Carolina. The accused shooter embraced Confederate symbols, including the Confederate battle flag.
On Thursday, the tracks that host NASCAR races released a joint statement that urged fans to refrain from displaying the flag, saying tracks wanted to “create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events.”
Source: NASCAR Wire Service
