Click here to follow us on Twitter @circletrackplus

NASCAR today issued a statement regarding the tragedy of the lives lost on the evening of June 17, 2015, in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed, including the senior pastor and state senator, Clementa C. Pinckney. A tenth person was shot and survived.

NASCAR, long regarded as a southern-born racing series, also offered its support to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley regarding the recent move to remove the Confederate Flag from government property.

The statement read, “As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of life last week in Charleston, we join our nation’s embrace of those impacted. NASCAR supports the position that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took on the Confederate Flag on Monday. As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events.”