Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Confederate flag: 'It's offensive to an entire race'

SONOMA, Calif. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't think much of the Confederate flag.

NASCAR's most popular driver reiterated his longtime stance on the flag Friday when asked by reporters at Sonoma Raceway, saying he agreed with NASCAR that it should be removed from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol.

"I think it's offensive to an entire race," Earnhardt said. "It does nothing for anybody to be there flying, so I don't see any reason. It belongs in the history books and that's about it."

In the wake of a racially motivated mass shooting in South Carolina, NASCAR said this week it will continue to ban the use of the flag in any official capacity. But fans will still be allowed to fly the flag on racetrack property.

Jeff Gordon, a teammate of Earnhardt at Hendrick Motorsports, said the race team does not offer any merchandise with the Confederate flag symbol.

"I'm in support of what (NASCAR) is doing," Gordon said. "It's a delicate balance. We race all over, but the South is an area where we have a lot of fans and everyone has different opinions and expression of that."

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