Abiding by the Confederate Flag Ban Inside Talladega, Grudgingly
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Race fans in Alabama bristled on Sunday under NASCAR’s Confederate flag ban. But they weren’t willing to go to war.
In the first real test of the ban, enacted this month, a reduced crowd attended a Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, one of NASCAR’s most culturally Southern tracks. Inside, spectators abided by NASCAR’s rules. Everywhere else, though, many of them waved the battle flag.
Before the event, for instance, a small plane circled the speedway towing an enormous Confederate flag and a banner that read, “Defund NASCAR.”
Hundreds of cars adorned in battle flags assembled off site, then formed a two-mile caravan and drove past the track entrance in protest. “The idea is to do it when people are trying to get in the gate,” said Johnny Wilson, 47, one of the caravan’s participants. He drove a Dodge pickup with Confederate flags flying from two tall poles in the back.
>But, it's good for Bubba Wallace to have BLM plastered on his car.