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NASCAR bans Confederate flags, Bubba Wallace races with Black Lives Matter livery

The racing series will no longer allow Confederate flags to be displayed at its events or across its properties.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
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Bubba Wallace, NASCAR
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Bubba Wallace, NASCAR

Bubba Wallace, wearing an "I can't breathe" shirt next to his No. 43 Chevy in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

 Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NASCAR has officially banned presence of the Confederate flag across all of its events and properties, the racing organization announced Wednesday.

"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," NASCAR said in a statement. "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special."

Per NASCAR's tweet, this edict clearly prohibits fans from bringing Confederate flags to races.

The announcement comes on the heels of driver Bubba Wallace announcing he'll run a special Black Lives Matter livery for his No. 43 Chevy during Wednesday's race at Martinsville Speedway, Road & Track reports. Wallace is the only black driver currently on the NASCAR field, and one of the most successful black drivers in the series' history.

We wholly endorse NASCAR's decision, as well as Wallace's choice to promote the Black Lives Matter movement in this highly public space. Roadshow, CNET and our parent company, ViacomCBS, support the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement, and we stand with other Americans who condemn acts of racism here and abroad.

Visit blacklivesmatters.carrd.co to learn how to donate, sign petitions and protest safely.