News in the age of social media, be it of any kind, NASCAR included, is a pretty tricky, double-sided sword kind of thing. On one hand, the news spreads faster thanks to the number of ‘journalists’ with access to the right means.
On the other side, the same means, the same ‘journalists’ can spread the news at the same speed, however, the legitimacy of it can sometimes be questionable.
This is exactly what part-time NASCAR Truck Series driver Ray Ciccarelli experienced.
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A couple of years ago, a fake image circulated on the internet in which the Truck driver had supposedly announced his retirement from NASCAR after the sport decided to ban the Confederate flag.
Below this announcement was a reply from NASCAR that sympathized with the driver and his fans for his “participation trophies.”
But this ‘news’ was quickly shot down by the real Cicarelli on his real Twitter account as he wrote, “This image is fake.”
This image is fake! #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/6YoOEoqPTi
— Ray Ciccarelli (@RayCiccarelIi) June 12, 2020
Along with the driver, journalist Bob Pockrass also emphasized the fakeness of the whole thing as he too wrote, “that is a fake tweet.”
that is a fake tweet.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 13, 2020
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How did Bubba Wallace react after NASCAR banned the Confederate flag?
Soon after NASCAR announced the decision to ban the Confederate flag a couple of years ago, the current 23XI Racing driver, Bubba Wallace applauded the decision, elaborating that there is no place for such things in the sport.
“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. It starts with Confederate flags,” Wallace said. “Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”
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Along with Wallace, NASCAR too issued a statement in which they clarified that “The presence of the Confederate flag” runs “contrary” to their commitment towards their fans, their competitors, and the whole industry in general.
“Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special,” the statement continued.
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“The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”