NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Members of the Metro Council and the city’s NAACP branch are pressing the board that oversees the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to investigate how a race car carrying a Confederate flag was allowed onto the city-owned track.
The flag was seen on the roof of a car that competed in a Pure Stock race at the speedway on Nov. 6. Now the council caucus representing minority members, joined by the local NAACP, wants the Metropolitan Board of Fair Commissioners to examine the episode, review its current policies and oversight, and set firm, enforceable rules so it does not happen again.
In its statement, the caucus described the flag as a symbol tied to slavery, segregation and racial oppression and said showing it at a public facility clashes with the values the city wants for its shared spaces.
Nashville NAACP President Timothy Hughes sent fairgrounds officials a letter dated Nov. 12 asking how the car got through and whether rules on hate symbols were enforced. The civil rights group is seeking records on whether that car raced there before, how cars are inspected, and how much leverage the board holds over the operator through its contract with promoter Bob Sargent and Track Enterprises. Hughes asked for the matter to go on the board’s next regular agenda and for a written reply within 10 business days.
Track management has admitted the flag should never have been there, noting that such displays are banned on the property. Sargent has said the flag appears to have slipped past inspectors and that vehicle checks will be tightened.
Fair Board Chair Jasper Hendricks said he met with speedway staff after the race and is confident they will do a better job enforcing standards on offensive words and images. He also cautioned that the Fair Board, as a government body, cannot regulate speech, and said he had already talked with the board before the public statements came out.
The question now moves to the Fair Board, which manages the fairgrounds property for Metro Nashville and is expected to hear from both groups at an upcoming meeting.
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