Multiple NASCAR team owners indicated Sunday they will not tolerate drivers or crew members who kneel during the national anthem as unpatriotic protests plague the beleaguered National Football League.
Former NASCAR champion and legend Richard Petty, who owns Richard Petty Motorsports, told the Associated Press that he would fire any member of his team that chooses to kneel during the national anthem.
“Anybody that don’t stand up for the anthem oughta be out of the country. Period. What got ’em where they’re at? The United States,” Petty said.
Another famous former NASCAR driver, Richard Childress, who owns Richard Childress Racing, said that anyone who works for him that chooses to kneel during the national anthem would face the same fate.
“It’ll get you a ride on a Greyhound bus,” Childress said. “Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America.”
The comments from NASCAR owners come as the NFL struggles for its survival as its fan base becomes increasingly fractured over the disrespect shown by multi-millionaire athletes who are kneeling in solidarity with victims of alleged oppression.
President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets on Sunday in response to the disrespect shown by NFL players during the national anthem.
Trump told a crowd in Alabama on Friday that he wishes NFL owners would fire players who refused to stand during the national anthem — a remark that was greeted with overwhelming cheers at the rally for Luther Strange.