50-year-old NASCAR truck driver says he's quitting at the end of the season because of the Confederate flag ban and 'political BS'

• Ray Ciccarelli, a driver on NASCAR's Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that he was quitting at the end of the season following NASCAR's move to ban the Confederate flag at races.
• Ciccarelli, 50, wrote that he did not believe in kneeling during the national anthem and that while he "could care less" about the flag, he felt that NASCAR's move was "f---ing one group to cater to another."
• In the past week, NASCAR's president, Steve Phelps, called for taking a stand against racism, and the driver Bubba Wallace announced he would drive a car with "#BLACKLIVESMATTER" across it.

NASCAR on Wednesday announced that it would ban the Confederate flag from races — a stunning move, as the flag has been a fixture in the sports for decades.

Shortly after the announcement, Ray Ciccarelli, 50, a part-time driver competing in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, wrote on Facebook that he was retiring at the end of the season because of the changes.

The post has since been deleted. Here's what Ciccarelli wrote, via CBS:

"Well its been a fun ride and dream come true but if this is the direction Nascar is headed we will not participate after 2020 season is over , i don't believe in kneeling during Anthem nor taken ppl right to fly what ever flag they love. I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl that do and it doesn't make them a racist all you are doing is f---ing one group to cater to another and i ain't spend the money we are to participate in any political BS!! So everything is for SALE!!"

Here's a screenshot of Ciccarelli's post:

In the wake of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, NASCAR has spoken out about systemic racism and social injustice.

Before a race on Sunday, NASCAR's president, Steve Phelps, called for taking a stand against racism and said Black people and people of color had been suffering for too long without being heard.

At that race, Bubba Wallace, the sport's only Black driver, wore a shirt that read "I can't breathe, Black Lives Matter." On Tuesday, he announced he'd drive a car with "#BLACKLIVESMATTER" across it for a race on Wednesday.

• Read more:
• Colin Kaepernick is reportedly still determined to play in the NFL, and the calls for a comeback are growing louder
• 'People are finally starting to listen to us': LeBron James and other athletes to form group aimed at protecting Black voting rights
• Bruce Arians says he may keep the Bucs 3rd-string quarterback away from the team in case Tom Brady and his backup contract coronavirus
• The Olympics is standing by the ban on athletes protesting, but Team USA wants to give its athletes the right to kneel or raise a fist