HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR and its drivers took a stand prior to the start of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
As much of the country deals with civil unrest in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died May 25 after a Minneapolis (Minn.) police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest, the sanctioning body and its competitors made a resounding statement in favor of change prior to the green flag Sunday afternoon.
The 40-car field stopped on the frontstretch of the 1.5-mile speedway with all pit crew members standing at attention on the pit wall, at which time NASCAR President Steve Phelps addressed the drivers, crews and the FOX television audience.
“Thank you for your time. Our country is in pain and people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard,” Phelps said. “The black community and all people of color have suffered in our country, and it has taken far too long for us to hear their demands for change,” Phelps said. “Our sport must do better. Our country must do better. The time is now to listen, to understand and to stand against racism and racial injustice. We ask our drivers … and all our fans to join us in this mission, to take a moment of reflection, to acknowledge that we must do better as a sport, and join us as we now pause and take a moment in reflection to listen.”
Phelps’ statement was followed by 30 seconds of silence. After that FOX aired a video message featuring many of NASCAR’s top stars, all of whom vowed to “listen and learn” amid this time of uncertainly.
The video was also posted on most of the participating drivers’ Twitter accounts prior to the race.
We will listen and learn!#BlackLivesMattters pic.twitter.com/AYoYdY8IlX
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 7, 2020
In recent weeks several NASCAR drivers have spoken about social injustice and the civil unrest around the United States. Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver at the NASCAR Cup Series level, has been among the most vocal.
Prior to the start of Sunday’s race, Wallace was shown on pit road wearing a shirt with the words, “I Can’t Breathe” on it. Those are the same words Floyd could be heard saying in a video that was filmed during his arrest in Minneapolis, Minn.
All four officers involved in the arrest of Floyd have since been arrested. Derek Chauvin, the man who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with second-degree murder.
The other three officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
In the weeks since Floyd’s death, protesters have marched in the nation’s cities, towns and villages demanding change.