Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Over the rolling Alabama hills, the soft autumn breeze still whistles through Dixie, finding a legendary track on race week and a sea of flags to push and pull ? American flags, driver flags and the flag that remains the third rail of NASCAR, the Confederate.

In America, a NASCAR race is the last major sporting event where the Stars and Bars is still so prevalent, still so prominent, and while the debate over whether the flag's presence is appropriate isn't new, the stakes for NASCAR continue to get higher.

After a decade of massive growth, NASCAR's popularity has slowed and television ratings have slumped. To restart its progress, NASCAR must continue to attract new fans in fresh, more diverse markets, many of whom view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism and oppression. Yet NASCAR doesn't want to alienate its loyal base, many of whom view the waving flags in the infield as a symbol of honor, history and traditional Southern pride.

Which is why the flag issue ? symbolic of many others including prerace prayer and moving races out of the South to fresh markets in the North, Midwest and West ? remains an issue NASCAR can't easily solve.

A year ago NASCAR CEO Brian France condemned the flag on "60 Minutes" and reiterated his company's "commitment to diversity."

But that has done little to pull the flags down here at Talladega; they were out in force all weekend, hung from homes and trees on the drive to the track, placed in the back windows of trucks and cars and run up makeshift flag poles on motor homes throughout the party-packed infield.

In fact, France even may have strengthened the resolve to keep them flying.

And France's comments ? "It's not a flag that I look at with anything favorable, that's for sure," he said ? have not been publicly embraced or repeated by people with the most influence over fans: the drivers themselves.

Yahoo! Sports asked more than 30 major drivers for their thoughts on the Confederate flag, whether they felt it created an unwelcoming environment to potential fans, and if so, whether it would be appropriate to ask their supporters to not fly it.

All but one turned down requests for private interviews, written statements or any comment on the issue. Many did so tersely.

The only driver we found willing to speak on the issue during Talladega race week was Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport's most popular and powerful star who holds tremendous sway over his legion of fans. Earnhardt, who previously has expressed concern over the flag's meaning, hardly made a definitive statement, but at least had the guts to say something.

"We live in a country where you can speak freely and do as you may," Earnhardt said. "I don't know [if] what that flag stands for is the same for me as it is the guy who might have it flying out there.

"I am not going to agree with everything everybody does all my life. So I don't have any control over it."

When that is the best you can get out of nearly three dozen supposedly fearless, independent and talkative drivers, the silence is as telling as the sagging TV numbers.

NASCAR still has a flag (and image) issue. But no one wants to discuss the elephant in the infield.

To read the rest of it go to http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=dw-confederateflag100906&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Ah man, I read this story earlier and it made my blood boil.