NASCAR suspends rookie driver for 'liking' racist meme

The NASCAR Cup Series racer allegedly liked a meme on Instagram making light of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police while detained outside a convenience store in Minneapolis in 2020.

Initially, Gragson's team, Legacy Motor Club, handed down the suspension, which NASCAR backed. In a statement, NASCAR said it "fully supports" the team's decision to suspend him. 

"Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension," the statement read. 

Gragson responded to the suspension, and while he didn't apologize, he voiced disappointment over his "lack of attention and actions on social media." 

"I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone," Gragson tweeted. "I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."  

Unfortunately, this weekend's incident isn't an anomaly in the NASCAR world. 

In 2020, a photo emerged of what some identified as a noose hanging in the garage of driver Bubba Wallace, who is Black. An FBI investigation concluded that the noose, used as a pull rope for the garage door, had been there since as early as 2019, before Wallace's team used it. However, it was still a bad look for NASCAR. 

Meanwhile, that same year, Kyle Larson used a racial slur while streaming a virtual race game, which led to his firing from Chip Ganassi Racing and a suspension from NASCAR. 

More recently, NASCAR held an investigation into the hacking of Wallace's team radio in May during an exhibition race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. The hacker used racist language, telling Wallace to "go back where you came from." 

NASCAR has ultimately addressed each situation, but suspensions and guilt in the court of public opinion haven't been enough to deter these kinds of actions. Perhaps a NASCAR team going hard on a first-year driver will help turn the tide, but an unflattering past says that probably won't be the case.