Published 01/17/2023, 3:33 PM EST
Back in 2020, NASCAR made the bold decision to ban the display of the Confederate Flag at races. This decision received both positive and mixed reactions from the community. Recently, an intriguing question was posed by a fan on social media. The question was, “If you could erase one athlete injurys from their career and then watch their career play out, which athlete would you choose?” A NASCAR fan chose Dale Earnhardt Sr, but the reason behind it was surprising.
According to an irate fan, they would have prevented Dale Sr’s fatal crash and asked the Intimidator his opinion on political correctness and the rise of “woke” culture in NASCAR. However, when a story narrated by Dale Earnhardt Jr started doing the rounds, the fan graciously accepted their mistake.
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As shared on Twitter, Dale Jr once mentioned in an interview, “On my dad’s truck, he has this sticker with a rebel flag that said, ‘American by birth, Southern by the grace of God.’ At the time, we had this housekeeper named Ann, and she was the most awesome lady. She was an African-American lady, and she asked my stepmother about my dad’s rebel flag on the back of his truck.
“And so the next thing we know, my dad’s out there with a knife and a razor blade, and he’s cutting the rebel flag out of the sticker.”
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Why did Dale Earnhardt do that?
According to Dale Jr, “He didn’t want to offend anybody or make anybody mad in that manner. It was so sweet. It was a little kind-hearted thing. She just thought that was the best. She’s like, ‘That’s just so awesome that you would do that.’ He had a good heart, a big heart.”
HAMPTON, GA – NOVEMBER 18: Dale Earnhardt celebrates his 4th NASCAR Winston Cup Championship after the Atlanta Journal 500, NASCAR Winston Cup race, Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 18, 1990 in Hampton, Georgia.. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
The Confederate Flag ban was largely spearheaded by Bubba Wallace and NASCAR agreed with the driver. Since then, the flag has been absent from the race track, but the conversations around it haven’t. After almost three years, the decision remains a controversial one.
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