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NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr Tweets Support For Anthem Protests After Owners Said They Would Fire Drivers

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 06:22 PST, Sep 25, 2017

NASCAR owners have said that they would fire drivers who kneel during the anthem, but that hasn’t stopped one of its biggest stars, Dale Earnhardt Jr., from tweeting his support of the protests.

Earnhardt Jr. tweeted that all Americans have the right to peacefully protest before adding a quote from John F. Kennedy about the importance of “quiet revolutions.”

As USA Today reports, some NASCAR owners have come out against any potential anthem protests by drivers.

“It’ll get you a ride on a Greyhound bus… anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America,” said Richard Childress, a well-known NASCAR owner. “I told them anyone who works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people have gave their lives for it. This is America.”

Owner and legendary driver Richard Petty agreed.

“Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period,” he said. “If they don’t appreciate where they’re at… what got them where they’re at? The United States.”

But, according to USA Today, Andy Murstein, the majority owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, said that he would not fire any drivers who protested the anthem. Instead, he would sit down with them and explain to them why protesting the anthem was wrong.

“If there is disenchantment towards the President or a few bad law enforcement officers, don’t have it cross over to all that is still good and right about our country,” Murstein said.

The fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced his support for the protests holds a lot of weight, given his star power in NASCAR. According to Mashable, he is the reigning 14-time winner of the organization’s “Most Popular Driver” award. He’s also the son of Dale Earnhardt Sr., a very successful driver whose unfortunate death on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 made him a legend on the stock car racing circuit.

In a tweet, President Donald Trump added his support to the NASCAR owners who are against the anthem protests.

The current wave of protests in the NFL was prompted by a statement from Trump where he criticized players, like Colin Kaepernick, who had chosen to “take a knee” during the national anthem.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b***h off the field right now. Out. He’s fired! He’s fired!” Trump said at a rally.

He later doubled down on those comments via Twitter.

As the Inquisitr reported, this prompted players on various NFL teams to protest the national anthem on Sunday.

[Featured Image by Sean Gardner/Getty Images]

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