NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs ban on Confederate flag

[Spitfire of ATJ]

Source: AP - Washington's Top News

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 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, Earnhardt’s 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]

1. Well,,,,, if there were any wingnut heads that hadn't

exploded by now,,,, this should get the rest of them!

[underpants]

4. Agreed

He is in the trilogy for them.

Let's not forget- NASCAR serves mainly as a marketing instrument at this point.

[FLPanhandle]

2. In my mind I'm picturing a lot of guys scraping bumper stickers off their pickups tonight

This might piss them off more than the gay marriage ruling.

[cloudbase]

3. Watch for the faithful

to give him the Dixie Chicks treatment.

[durablend]

5. What happens when NASCAR abandons them? LOL n/t

[Skittles]

6. it's offensive to far more people than "an entire race"

yes INDEED

[RufusTFirefly]

7. NASCAR interests me about as much as synchronized swimming. Nonetheless...

... 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]

8. Good for Dale.

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]

9. AJ Allmendinger wins pole for road course race at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. -- AJ Allmendinger, developing as the top driver on road courses, won the pole for Sunday's race at winding Sonoma Raceway.

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]

10. Not unprecedented in NASCAR, Junior Johnson endorsed Obama in 2008

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/NASCAR-legend-endorses-Obama-No-really-?urn=nascar,117879

Junior Johnson, he of the legendary moonshining and early-NASCAR dominance, has formally endorsed Barack Obama for president. In a mass email, Johnson wrote:

Our country is in a rough spot, and we’re going to need some serious change. There’s only one candidate ready to deliver it — and that’s Barack Obama.

Every day I talk to someone else who’s never voted for a Democrat, but now they’re voting for Barack Obama. They realize that Barack understands what we’re going through here in North Carolina. And they’re ready for change.

So I’ve made up my mind, and I’m ready to get involved. I know that I could never have won a race without my pit crew, and I know Barack can’t win this one without us.

[Judi Lynn]

11. NASCAR chairman wants Confederate flag eliminated at races

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]

12. The Tide Is Finally Changing

eom

[Purveyor]

13. I've always like "June Bug"... Way to go Dale Jr. eom