Protesters fly a Confederate flag banner over Bristol speedway weeks after it was banned by NASCAR as Bubba Wallace races in front of 30,000 fans - the largest sports crowd since the start of the pandemic

Article written by Lauren Fruen for "The Daily Mail" and AP:

A plane protesting NASCAR's ban on the Confederate flag flew over Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday.

Images of the aircraft flying the banned symbol also featured the website for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group claimed it had paid for a similar banner over Talladega last month.

NASCAR in June banned the flag at its events, but protesters at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama also paraded past the main entrance waving them from their vehicles on June 21.

Wednesday's race would likely be the largest sporting event in the United States since March, organizers have said.

The All-Star Race was moved from Charlotte Motor Speedway for just the second time since its 1985 inception because Tennessee officials allowed Speedway Motorsports to sell up to 30,000 tickets.

Bubba Wallace, the sport's only full-time Black driver, was at the event Wednesday. It was at last month's race at Talladega that a crew member reported finding a noose in his team's garage stall.

Wallace was shown a photograph of the noose, never personally saw it, and was told by NASCAR officials he was the victim of a hate crime.

Despite that, President Donald Trump then wrongly accused Wallace of perpetrating 'a hoax' after federal authorities ruled the noose had been hanging since October and was not a hate crime.

'Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?' Trump tweeted. 'That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!'

Wallace responded on Twitter with a note to 'the next generation and little ones following my foot steps' in which he urged people to use their platform and not be detracted by 'hate being thrown at you.'

'Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate,' Wallace tweeted. 'Even when it's HATE from the POTUS .. Love wins.' 

Trump has also has criticized NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag, blaming the decision for the sport's 'low ratings,' although TV ratings for NASCAR have been up since racing resumed. 

Bristol, dubbed 'The Last Great Colosseum,' can hold about 140,000 people. Speedway Motorsports has those in attendance socially distanced through the grandstands and masks were only required upon entrance. Fans were told they could remove them once in their seats.

Because the speedway is privately owned, attendance numbers will not be released.

It appeared at least 20,000 spectators were socially distanced throughout the grandstands. 

Concession stands were open, but typical shopping opportunities were limited and independent street-side souvenir stands along Speedway Boulevard hawked driver items and even a few Confederate flags.

After crashing Wednesday, Wallace climbed from his car and gave a thumbs-up to a contingent of fans cheering for him. Roughly two dozen organizers from Justice 4 the Next Generation traveled from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia in an effort to diversify NASCAR.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8528103/Banned-Confederate-flag-banner-flies-Bristol-speedway-weeks-similar-protest-Talladega.html