DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway will not ban the Confederate flag from the property this weekend, but they are offering an exchange program where fans can trade a flag they have for an American flag.
The decision comes after much public discussion about the Confederate flag in the wake of the massacre in Charleston and after photos of the suspected gunman waving the banner were found online.
WKMG in Orlando reports NASCAR chairman Brian France does not want the Confederate flag flying at NASCAR events, but Daytona President Joie Chitwood told WKMG Thursday there isn’t enough time to plan and enforce a ban on the flag at this weekend’s event.
“So, fans who would like to fly the American flag, we’ll trade with you whatever flag that you have,” Chitwood told WKMG. “We want you to celebrate that flag this weekend. That’s what’s important. Going forward, we really have to look at that flag, where the other flag goes because it doesn’t have a place in our sport.”
Chitwood told WKMG the exchange program is a good compromise for the Coke Zero 400 event because fans had purchased their tickets prior to discussions of the flag ban coming up.
