Confederate flags put NASCAR in difficult position - Indianapolis Star
But as a signature sport of the South, NASCAR, for many, will likely forever be associated with a culture rooted in the days of moonshine running, hard-charging, paint-swapping good ole boys and, yes, the Confederate flag. The extent to which those two worlds co-exist — or perhaps collide — has been a story that has played out race after race, track after track ever since NASCAR earlier this month implored its fans and race venues to not display the flag. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home for Sunday's Brickyard 400, is among the tracks that signed on to NASCAR's request to not display the flag. "The NASCAR community was asking its fans to consider not bringing the Confederate flag to its events," IMS President Doug Boles said. "As a track that hosts a NASCAR race, we signed to be supportive of NASCAR and the spirit of the statement. Then again, this Brickyard is happening at a time unlike any other, where racial politics are so front and center — and with some fans seeing NASCAR's request as an example of political correctness run amok, at best, and, at worst, a sign of the... Florida State University professor Josh Newman, co-author of "Sport, Spectacle and NASCAR Nation," said he was surprised by NASCAR's announcement. Source: www.indystar.com
