NASCAR drivers mostly quiet about George Floyd and police brutality – USA TODAY
Warning: There is some NSFW language in this post.
People across the country have erupted in protest against police brutality and systemic racism in the days following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes. In addition to Minneapolis, people have been protesting in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston and Nashville, among many other cities.
Several athletes and sports figures, including Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Steve Kerr, Joe Burrow and Evander Kane, have spoken out in support of the nationwide protests against racial oppression and for justice for Floyd, Breonna Taylor, who Louisville police shot and killed in her own apartment in March, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging in February.
Some athletes, like Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Ohio State basketball player Seth Towns, participated in protests.
But while athletes, sports figures and organizations are taking action and speaking out against police brutality – although some responses leave much to be desired – only a select few people in the NASCAR community have commented on social media. People have also been protesting in Charlotte, where NASCAR is based.
By the time the NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee began Sunday afternoon, only a handful of full-time Cup Series drivers in the white male-dominated sport had commented or reacted on social media (specifically Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) this week about the protests or Floyd specifically.
There also was no mention of Floyd or the protests on NASCAR’s Twitter, Instagram or Facebook accounts Sunday afternoon.
Unsurprisingly, two of the drivers who reacted publicly are Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., the only African-American driver in the Cup Series, and Daniel Suárez, the only Mexican driver in the top-tier series.
Ty Dillon also shared a lengthy statement on his social accounts. He continued his support on his Instagram story Sunday, which included linking to a video of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking about how “a riot is the language of the unheard,” which Jemele Hill posted to Instagram.
In response to Dillon tweeting his Instagram link, NASCAR senior vice president and chief communications officer Eric Nyquist tweeted:
Ryan Blaney retweeted a video of a Michigan sheriff speaking with protesters and joining them in protesting. His teammate, Brad Keselowski, also replied to a Twitter thread arguing against rioting.
Rookie driver Tyler Reddick didn’t comment, but he retweeted Suárez’s message. Later, following Sunday’s race, Reddick, who competes for Richard Childress Racing, tweeted:
A largely homogenous industry, NASCAR is no stranger to controversy when it comes to racial issues, especially considering how common confederate flags are at races.
During the sport’s 10-week hiatus because of the COVID-19 outbreak — which is disproportionally negatively impacting people of color — Kyle Larson used a racial slur during a livestream during an iRacing event. After losing sponsors, he was fired by Chip Ganassi Racing and currently does not have a ride in NASCAR.
Wallace was, again, among the few drivers who shared a reaction to Larson using a racist slur. The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet driver condemned Larson’s language, saying he felt hurt and angry, but adding that he’s willing to give Larson a second chance.
In 2017 in response to the continued debate about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem to peacefully protest racial injustice and police brutality, NASCAR team owners Richard Childress and Richard Petty said they’d fire anyone who kneels for the national anthem.
Petty, whose only Cup Series driver is Wallace, told USA TODAY Sports in 2017:
“Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period.”
And Childress, the grandfather of Dillon and owner of Richard Childress Racing, said at the time if an employee protested during the anthem that he’d “get you a ride on a Greyhound bus when the national anthem is over.”
For The Win will continue monitoring NASCAR drivers’ social media accounts and will update this story if more drivers comment on the protests.
Published 10:48 PM EDT May 31, 2020
