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Liveries, Nooses and the Battle For NASCAR
NASCAR has a reputation. It’s a sport for southern good old boys who drink beer, wave Confederate flags around and are casually racist and sexist because that’s the way things are.
NASCAR itself was founded in 1947 and held its first race in February, 1948, on the beach. Yup. The beach, at Daytona. This was, of course, the kernel of what eventually grew into the sport’s season opening celebration, Speed Week.
Stock car racing, however, grew out of prohibition, illegal activity and Dukes of Hazzard style avoidance of the cops. So perhaps it is not as much of a surprise as it could be to see…well…what is going on in the sport now.
And much of it centers around two men.
Richard Petty and Bubba Wallace
Richard Petty is one of the sport’s all time greats. The most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR. His record of 200 wins will probably, thanks to changes in the sport since, never be toppled. He’s called The King for a reason.
He’s utterly recognizable in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses.
And in 2017, Petty had some things to say about kneeling for the National Anthem.
He, amongst others, was not in support of the protest (kneeling for the anthem was against the…