NASCAR President Steve Phelps stated that the sport continues “this journey toward getting better” and “bringing a more welcoming and inclusive environment, whether it be at the race track or you watching on television.”
Steve Phelps made the statement Saturday night on NASCAR America on NBCSN just before the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
“For us it really is getting back to this, what’s action can we take?” Phelps said on NBCSN. “I mean, it’s great to say the words, but if you don’t follow them up with actions, they’re really meaningless. And so, for us, it’s continuing down … this journey towards getting better. And getting better really means bringing a more welcoming and inclusive environment, whether at the racetrack or you’re watching on television, that our sport is a place where everyone is welcome.”
After a striking week in the sports industry that saw most athletes cancel play to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
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When asked about the events of the past week in sports, Phelps stated:
“Listen, the events of this week are difficult for sure. The sports world, we saw some things that are unprecedented with games being canceled and athletes finding their voice and talking about, in their minds what needs to happen, what needs to change.
“I pivot back, frankly, to where we were back in early June. With, you know, coming out of the death of George Floyd, what the drivers did with their video in Atlanta, you know, kind of that moment of listening that we had as a sport in Atlanta and then the following week with the banning of the confederate flag and importantly to make sure that, you know, we were making sure we were following through with that at the racetrack, which is something that we have done. And then the following week, with Bubba Wallace at Talladega and just those iconic images that came from Talladega.”