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Sprint Cup
HEMBREE: Old Times There Sometimes Forgotten
The NASCAR Hall of Fame shows no Confederate flags...
The inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is set for May 23 at 1 p.m. ET live on SPEED. (Image: NASCAR Hall of Fame)
Stroll the floors of the sparkling new NASCAR Hall of Fame, and you will find thousands of items linked to stock car racing’s past and present.
Race cars. Trophies. Racing jackets. Driver helmets. Engine parts. Souvenir programs. Race tickets. NASCAR membership cards. Retired sponsor logos. Inspection tools. Two-way radios. Pit wagons.
There is one thing, however, that has been obstinately tied to NASCAR over the years that is not to be found inside the $195 million facility – the Confederate flag.
And for that, those at the decision-making levels of a hall that celebrates nearly all things Southern are to be heartily congratulated.
Although the banner representing the losing side in the American Civil War once was an obnoxiously dominant sight at many NASCAR tracks, particularly (for obvious reasons) those located in the old Confederacy, its presence now is barely a ripple, in relative terms. To be sure, the infields and parking lots at Darlington, Bristol, Talladega and Atlanta still host rebel-flag-flying visitors (some especially partisan folk fly it above the United States flag on the same pole), but the sea of cloth flying in the speedway breeze has fewer Southern Crosses than at any time in the sport’s history.
The flag of the Lost Cause, which represented a renegade collection of states dedicated to the idea that one race of Americans should serve another against their will (and that that idea should be consecrated by official government decree), once was a repugnant presence at sporting events across the South, particularly at college football games. Schools eventually caught on to the fact that the war had ended and that the flag, while revered by a certain element, was a stain on 20th century society in most contexts.
It produced a major controversy in South Carolina as legislators struggled for years over demands that it be removed from atop the state capitol. After much duress, it was dropped from the capitol dome in 2000 but placed in a more prominent spot alongside a Confederate monument immediately in front of the State House. The flag’s continued place of honor on the capitol grounds has resulted in an official economic boycott of the state by the NAACP and a decision by the NCAA to avoid scheduling national sports championship events in South Carolina.
Although the Confederate flag has been banished officially by numerous institutions, individuals are free, of course, to fly it as they please. And many do. It is prominent on more than a few lawns and Dodge Rams across the South.
Most people in charge of public facilities have accepted the fact, however, that the flag is at least an embarrassment and at worst a painful reminder of slavery and segregation to many and thus have banned it.
For those reasons, the NASCAR hall, despite the flag’s tight linkage with stock car racing history, has made every effort to cleanse its displays of the flag. It might appear here or there on an old souvenir program cover or such, but its once prominent spot at some facilities (remember the Rebel 400, the Dixie 500 and the Confederate-uniformed Johnny Reb character who used to roam pit road at Darlington?) is a decided no-no at the hall.
“One of the things we are very sensitive to is that the rebel flag means different things to different people,” said Winston Kelley, the hall’s executive director. “Since it is offensive to some people, that’s the reason we don’t want it in here. It’s not because NASCAR doesn’t want to tell that story or acknowledge it. It’s knowing that something is going to be offensive in a public facility – you just don’t want to put it in there.”
Many folks will be fighting the Civil War as long as they live. Some want to honor fallen soldiers regardless of the cause for which they fought, and there is some merit to that. But the idea that the Confederate flag and the noxious cause for which it stood should be saluted is long past. The NASCAR Hall of Fame should be congratulated for washing its hands of the matter.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Race cars. Trophies. Racing jackets. Driver helmets. Engine parts. Souvenir programs. Race tickets. NASCAR membership cards. Retired sponsor logos. Inspection tools. Two-way radios. Pit wagons.
There is one thing, however, that has been obstinately tied to NASCAR over the years that is not to be found inside the $195 million facility – the Confederate flag.
And for that, those at the decision-making levels of a hall that celebrates nearly all things Southern are to be heartily congratulated.
Although the banner representing the losing side in the American Civil War once was an obnoxiously dominant sight at many NASCAR tracks, particularly (for obvious reasons) those located in the old Confederacy, its presence now is barely a ripple, in relative terms. To be sure, the infields and parking lots at Darlington, Bristol, Talladega and Atlanta still host rebel-flag-flying visitors (some especially partisan folk fly it above the United States flag on the same pole), but the sea of cloth flying in the speedway breeze has fewer Southern Crosses than at any time in the sport’s history.
The flag of the Lost Cause, which represented a renegade collection of states dedicated to the idea that one race of Americans should serve another against their will (and that that idea should be consecrated by official government decree), once was a repugnant presence at sporting events across the South, particularly at college football games. Schools eventually caught on to the fact that the war had ended and that the flag, while revered by a certain element, was a stain on 20th century society in most contexts.
It produced a major controversy in South Carolina as legislators struggled for years over demands that it be removed from atop the state capitol. After much duress, it was dropped from the capitol dome in 2000 but placed in a more prominent spot alongside a Confederate monument immediately in front of the State House. The flag’s continued place of honor on the capitol grounds has resulted in an official economic boycott of the state by the NAACP and a decision by the NCAA to avoid scheduling national sports championship events in South Carolina.
Although the Confederate flag has been banished officially by numerous institutions, individuals are free, of course, to fly it as they please. And many do. It is prominent on more than a few lawns and Dodge Rams across the South.
Most people in charge of public facilities have accepted the fact, however, that the flag is at least an embarrassment and at worst a painful reminder of slavery and segregation to many and thus have banned it.
For those reasons, the NASCAR hall, despite the flag’s tight linkage with stock car racing history, has made every effort to cleanse its displays of the flag. It might appear here or there on an old souvenir program cover or such, but its once prominent spot at some facilities (remember the Rebel 400, the Dixie 500 and the Confederate-uniformed Johnny Reb character who used to roam pit road at Darlington?) is a decided no-no at the hall.
“One of the things we are very sensitive to is that the rebel flag means different things to different people,” said Winston Kelley, the hall’s executive director. “Since it is offensive to some people, that’s the reason we don’t want it in here. It’s not because NASCAR doesn’t want to tell that story or acknowledge it. It’s knowing that something is going to be offensive in a public facility – you just don’t want to put it in there.”
Many folks will be fighting the Civil War as long as they live. Some want to honor fallen soldiers regardless of the cause for which they fought, and there is some merit to that. But the idea that the Confederate flag and the noxious cause for which it stood should be saluted is long past. The NASCAR Hall of Fame should be congratulated for washing its hands of the matter.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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