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It didn’t take long for a professional race car driver to respond negatively to NASCAR’s major changes to create a more inclusive environment at their events.
On Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR shocked the sports world when they announced Confederate flags would be banned at all future events.
.@NASCAR announced in a statement that "the display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties." pic.twitter.com/s7qDwOaOvh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2020
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 10, 2020
“The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
Ray Ciccarelli, who competes part-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, took to Facebook to announce that he was done with the sport because he didn’t he agree with the direction NASCAR is headed following the Confederate flag ban. Ciccarelli explained that he could care less about the Confederate flag, but said that people who chose to fly the flag are not racist.
#NASCAR Truck driver/owner Ray Ciccarelli says he won’t continue in NASCAR after this year. He cited his reasons in this Facebook post: pic.twitter.com/NKrgPZFvyJ
— John Haverlin (@JohnHaverlin) June 10, 2020
Ciccarelli is currently the first driver to speak out against the Confederate flag ban but he’s probably not going to be the last.