NASCAR tracks ask fans to stop flying Confederate flags at races

NASCAR’s national series tracks are requesting that fans stop displaying the Confederate flag during their events.

A coalition of U.S. racecourses made the plea in a statement issued on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}“We are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events,” they said, the AP reported.

“This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate flag at our facilities and NASCAR events,” they added.

The AP said the group behind the statement included International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports Inc. Those two organizations own most of the Sprint Cup Series tracks, including locations in California, Florida and New York.

AP noted that multiple independent courses — such as Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio — also signed coalition’s statement.

The debate over displaying the Confederate flag has raged since the June 17 mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

Dylann Storm Roof, the suspect in the case, allegedly told police he wanted to start a race war, and had been photographed with the Confederate flag and symbols associated with white supremacists.

The AP said that Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., is hosting the first NASCAR event in the South after the attack on Sunday.

Organizers there are planning a voluntary exchange program where fans can trade any Confederate flag for an American flag.

“We want to be inclusive to everyone, and the last thing you want is for anyone to come to a sporting event and really not enjoy that experience because of symbols that really represent things we’re not proud of,” track President Joie Chitwood said.

“Going forward, we’ll really have to look at where that other flag goes, because it doesn’t have a place in our sport and we’ve got to take a thoughtful on how we get to that place.”

Chitwood’s remarks echo similar comments made by NASCAR Chairman Brian France last weekend. He argued on June 27 that NASCAR has outgrown both its Southern roots and its association with the Confederate battle flag.

“Obviously, we have roots in the South, there are events in the South, it’s part of our history like it is for the country,” France said at the Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

“But it needs to be just that, part of our history,” he said. “It isn’t part of our future.”