NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France on Saturday said that the governing body "will be aggressive in dissociating" the Confederate flag from its events going forward, according to Jenna Fryer of the AP. France said, "We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag. I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we feel about it, and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way." He added, "We're working with the industry to see how far we can go to get that flag to be disassociated entirely from our events." NASCAR last week took a stance against the flag, but Fryer noted banning it on race track property "is a much larger task." The size of crowds, and NASCAR's "own acknowledgement that fans have a right to freedom of expression, would make it difficult to police the presence of the flag." France: "If there’s more we can do to disassociate ourselves with that flag at our events than we’ve already done, then we want to do it" (AP, 6/27). USA TODAY's Jeff Gluck noted Saturday's statement "seemed to show France's thinking on the flag issue has been taken a step further" (USATODAY.com, 6/28). NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, "I've made my comments about the Confederate flag several times, and I stand behind NASCAR's stance to remove it. I think if it's offensive to an entire race, it really does nothing for anybody to be there flying. It belongs in the history books, that's about it." Driver Jeff Gordon added of NASCAR's stance, "I'm in support of what they're doing. It's a delicate balance. We race all over but the South is an area where we have a lot of fans and everyone has a different opinion and expression of that" (AP, 6/26).
FLAG DAY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Tripp Mickle wrote NASCAR "has a Confederate flag problem." NASCAR for more than a decade "has prevented the flag from appearing on any official materials, licensed merchandise and race cars." The organization also has been "trying to attract exactly the black and Hispanic fans the flag is most likely to offend" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/28). In Charlotte, Jim Utter noted it is "important" to remember NASCAR "did not make any policy change -- the policies in place now have been in place for several years." NASCAR "simply stated its position on an issue." The concern by some fans "seems to be more about what may happen next instead of what actually has taken place" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 6/27).
TAKING ISSUE: In Nashville, David Climer writes under the header, "Throw A Flag At Confederate Flag." Climer: "Until now, I never thought of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a champion for social change" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/29). In Portland, Allan Brettman noted the Mississippi state flag, which features the Confederate flag in one corner, was "not among the state flags displayed at Hayward Field during the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships" this weekend. A USATF spokesperson "declined to comment about the flag, referring questions to meet organizers" (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/28).
BRIAN'S SONG: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Alexandra Wolfe profiled France in the paper's "Weekend Confidential" feature, noting he hosted "employees from technology companies such as Facebook and Twitter" during the race weekend in Sonoma. France said that he is "more of a 'consensus builder' than his father or grandfather was, because the stakes are higher." France: "When you look at sports leagues today, they manage a lot of intellectual property, which means it takes you into a lot of different kinds of businesses." Wolfe noted when France is not running NASCAR, he "spends time with his wife and twins" at home in N.Y. He also "enjoys traveling with his family to Florida and the Bahamas." France: “At this stage of my career, I get a lot of free time" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/28).
