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A rumor that Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top series, wants the organization to eliminate the white flag because of its apparent association with the Confederate flag circulated online in June 2025. 

For example, The Patriot Oasis on X posted the claim on June 20 with an image claiming Wallace said “I’m not interested in winning until they change the white flag”:

BREAKING: Bubba Wallace, the only Black NASCAR driver, wants NASCAR to eliminate the white flag, which traditionally signals the final lap of a race. He says it is associated with the Confederate flag and has racist undertones.

(X user @ThePatriotOasis)

Variations of the rumor spread on Facebook in multiple posts with more 30,000 reactions as well as on TikTok.

Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, there was no evidence that Wallace wants to eliminate the white flag from NASCAR or that he believes it has racist undertones.

Rather, the rumor about Wallace and the white flag originated with Elite Gridiron — a Facebook page that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its bio states:

Elite Daily Dosage of Sports Parodies / Satire / Updates / For Entertainment / News & much MORE

In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Wallace called for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from its races. NASCAR had asked fans to stop bringing Confederate flags to races as early as 2015, but didn’t take the next step of banning the flag until after Wallace called for it.

The white flag, which is used in NASCAR to indicate the final lap of a race, is not typically seen as a Confederate flag. None of the Confederacy’s three national flags was a plain white flag. The Confederacy didn’t even use a plain white flag in its surrender to the Union; instead, it used a white towel with three red stripes along the bottom, according to the National Museum of American History.

Elite Gridiron has a history of making up stories for shares and comments. Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims stemming from Elite Gridiron in the past, including the assertion that sports commentator Skip Bayless referred to the University of Colorado’s football team under head coach Deion Sanders would be the “next Alabama dynasty.”

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.

NASCAR fans at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard here yesterday said “thank you” to the nation’s servicemembers 400 times in the first 10 minutes after learning how they could use their cell phones to send words of support.

Text messaging the word “Thanks” by dialing TXASY, or 89279, is another way for Americans to show support for the troops, said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison.

“It’s just a way to keep reminding our military members and their families that the American people really do support them. No matter what walk of life, no matter what event they’re at, the American people want to say, ‘Thanks,’” she said. “That’s part of the America Supports You program, … to make that connection for our military.”

The text-messaging program is part of America Supports You, a nationwide Defense Department program highlighting grassroots and corporate efforts to support the nation’s servicemembers.

Barber said NASCAR fans love the troops, and the troops love NASCAR. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels took that a step further, saying that motor sports fans in general are very supportive of the military, making the nearly 300,000 NASCAR fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the right crowd to ask for a simple text message of support.

“We get a lot of people and the right kind of people really — folks who love the country and love those who serve it,” he said. He added that Indiana is especially supportive of the troops. “You get a motor sports fan from Indiana, I guarantee you, you’ve got a patriot.”

The drivers were ready with words of support and encouragement, as well.

“I thank (them) from the bottom of my heart. I know everybody in NASCAR thanks (them) for what (they) do,” Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite car, said. “It allows us to go and have fun at the race track and put on a great race for all of our American fans.”

David Stremme, driver of the No. 40 Coors Light car, has a more personal take on why supporting the troops is important. While driving the Navy’s Busch series car last year, Stremme had the opportunity to meet servicemembers injured while defending the country’s freedom.

“If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be able to do what I love to do on Sundays or Saturdays,” he said. “Any time I get to see anybody … in uniform, I just go up and tell them thanks for what they’re doing, because I really look up to them.”

Story by Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service

NASCAR Fans Loving Kyle Busch’s Fourth Of July Message originally appeared on The Spun.

Kyle Busch has ruffled plenty of feathers over the past two decades, but most NASCAR fans are praising him this Friday.

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Busch, who has 63 career Cup Series victories, will undoubtedly make the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire. In the meantime, he’s trying to turn back the clock for Richard Childress Racing. He currently ranks 21st in the standings this season and has not recorded a win.

Despite his struggles with Richard Childress Racing this season, Busch has agreed to an extension that’ll run through 2026.

“It’s an honor to race for Richard Childress Racing, our partners, and team Chevy fans,” Busch said. “I feel like my family and I have found a home at RCR, and it means a lot that Richard continues to put his trust into me. My chapter at RCR is not yet complete, and I know we are building something special here. I remain focused on adding more wins and a championship to our collective resumes, and I want to thank Richard for the steps he is taking to help put all of the necessary pieces into place to give us a legitimate shot at a championship.”

Maybe, just maybe, Busch will pick up a win Sunday in Chicago. For now, he’s focused on enjoying July 4 with his family.

On Friday morning, Busch shared a message that most NASCAR fans will appreciate.

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“We sing the national anthem loud n proud in this family!! Happy 4th of July everyone,” Busch wrote on X.

Unsurprisingly, Busch is receiving plenty of support from his fans.

“Happy 4th Busch family. I wish we were singing together at Daytona. Bring back the Fire Cracker 400,” one fan said.

“Every driver should be singing their anthem proudly,” a second fan commented.

“Happy Independence Day Kyle and Family. Proud to be celebrating the 249 Birthday of America,” another fan replied.

We’re wishing everyone all the best this Fourth of July weekend.

Related: Kyle Busch Captures Stunning Swimsuit Photos of Wife in Italy

NASCAR Fans Loving Kyle Busch’s Fourth Of July Message first appeared on The Spun on Jul 4, 2025

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.

Happy Fourth of July to all three of you in class today! First off – kudos to you. Seriously, this takes some serious dedication. 

I’m not even technically here today. I wrote this yesterday. I wasn’t even planning to take today off, but I looked at the schedule earlier this week and saw I wasn’t on it for today. Imagine my surprise. What a treat! 

Anyway, I tossed around the idea of just skipping class altogether, but where would we be right now if our Founding Fathers did that? I assume somewhere in disgusting England, living under a king! Instead, we get to be in America … living under a king! 

At least that’s what the wacky Dems are trying to tell us today. What, you haven’t heard? We’ve got another round of ‘No Kings’ protests happening as we speak! Incredible. Anna Paulina’s on it, though. Don’t worry. 

Anyway, welcome to a Friday Nightcaps – the one where we hit the lake with NASCAR’s Natalie Decker, and go from there. 

What else? I’ve got Anna Paulina, the best of the rest from a LOADED week of #content, and we’ll end the day with Annie Agar. I assume Screencaps will have already taken her this morning, but I don’t care. This holiday THIRST deserves a second look for the late-arriving crowd. 

Grab you some milk punch to celebrate this great day (you’ll see), and settle in for a very quick, sparsely-attended Friday ‘Cap!

Anna Paulina doesn’t have time for your crap, Libs

So, I did some digging on this Friday holiday (not really, I did it yesterday afternoon), and discovered that Ben Franklin loved something called “Milk Punch.” True story. 

From Smithsonian Magazine:

Benjamin Franklin was especially unabashed about his love of “the cups.” Though Grasse writes that he was careful to advise temperance, he regularly enjoyed wine and what some might argue were early iterations of craft cocktails. 

His favorite, according to Alan, was milk punch, a three-ingredient brandy-based sip whose two non-alcoholic components – milk and lemon juice – washed and refined its third. 

Turns out, this little drink is also a HIT in NOLA:

Obviously, this one sounds a little more palatable than whatever the hell Ben was sucking down back in the day, but it’s all the same for us patriots. A drink’s a drink a drink. And today, we drink. 

And when we’re done drinking, we take a break, say the pledge of allegiance, and then head on out with Anna Paulina Luna to mock the Libs!

What a week of #content!

That’s how you celebrate this great, big, beautiful country! MAGA Bikini Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna was ALWAYS going to lead off our Fourth of July class. Always. I’d fire myself if she didn’t. 

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! And Happy No Kings Day … Part II!

Now, let’s get to the best #content from a short week. 

NASCAR Natalie, Annie’s time to shine & the world is finally catching up to us

What a week! Couple thoughts …

1. That SNL skit? My favorite one of all time. Seriously. Gets me every single year. It’s probably also because, to the best of my knowledge, Nate isn’t one of the insufferable Hollywood types. Yet, at least. 

2. Joe and Jim on the links? What a moment. Also, what’s Joe Buck wearing there? Is he rocking the T-shirt look on the course? Insane. 

3. Saw a stat today that we’re now closer to 2050 than 2000. How’s that for a mood-killer on the Fourth of July?

4. Let’s rapid-fire this holiday class and get on outta here in time to grab a quick nap since us adults will be up all night with babies who can’t sleep because it sounds like they’re in Iran. 

First up? Nobody does the Fourth of July better than NASCAR’s Natalie Decker. What a heater:

Welcome back to class, Nat! Did you see Hookstead in Wisconsin by chance? Did y’all know he’s a Wisconsin fan? You learn something new every day!

Next? Before we end the day with Annie, let’s quickly pat ourselves on the back, once again, for being ahead of trends. 

I’ve been BANGING the Cracker Barrel drum for years now. Years. I’ve been all over them since last summer for this “new, modern look” they’ve started rolling out across the US of A, and you guys have been right behind me. 

Well, look at who else finally started noticing …

Welcome to the show! About time the world started to notice what we’ve been bitching about for a year now. 

To be fair, I was at a Cracker Barrel last Friday, and it was business as usual. These changes are slowly taking shape. It may be a year before your Cracker Barrel looks like one of these Gen-Z monstrosities. 

(And yes, I said Gen-Z. Don’t you dare blame us millennials for this. I won’t stand for that.)

Anyway, it’s coming. Trust me, it’s coming. Get your minds right. Unless, of course, Trump snuck something into the BBB to save it? No clue. We’ll find out together!

OK, that’s it for today. Short class, but a class nonetheless. For the three of you who stuck it out, here’s Annie on a boat to take us into the holiday weekend. 

See you Monday. 

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).

Ask whatever you want, nobody’s here, anyway. Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.

In a groundbreaking move that could potentially shake up the F1 landscape, Franco Colapinto, the rising star of Alpine, has secured a lucrative sponsorship deal with Claro, a major supporter of none other than former Red Bull sensation Sergio Perez.

Amid swirling speculations about Alpine eyeing Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, Colapinto’s strategic maneuver to align with Claro could be a game-changer in his quest to solidify his position in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.

After an impressive stint with the Williams team last season, the 21-year-old Argentine driver made a triumphant return to the race seat with Alpine, replacing Jack Doohan as Pierre Gasly’s teammate. With a five-race deal initially in hand, Colapinto’s stellar performance has paved the way for a potential extension, keeping the Alpine team on its toes as they assess their future lineup.

While rumors swirl around a possible move for Bottas to Alpine, discussions are said to be in early stages, leaving the door wide open for Colapinto to showcase his talent and stake his claim in the elite racing circuit.

The partnership with Claro, a telecommunications giant under the Carlos Slim-owned América Móvil umbrella, signifies a significant boost for Colapinto. The deal will see Claro’s branding prominently featured on Colapinto’s gear, including his crash helmet and cap, symbolizing a powerful collaboration between the young driver and the established telecom company.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the collaboration, Colapinto remarked, “I am happy to have partnered with Claro – América Móvil – and to enjoy their support this year. Claro’s dedication to connectivity and innovation mirrors everything we push for on track: precision, speed, and seamless performance. I’m proud to unite our brands and bring a bit of that Latin America to every grand prix.”

Julio Porras Zadik, the chief executive of Claro Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, echoed the sentiment, stating, “We are very excited to support Franco at this key moment,” underscoring the strategic significance of the partnership for both parties.

The alliance between Colapinto and Claro marks a pivotal moment in the young driver’s career, solidifying his position within the Alpine team and setting the stage for a thrilling season ahead. As the F1 landscape continues to evolve, all eyes are on Colapinto as he navigates the twists and turns of the racing world, fueled by talent, determination, and now, a powerful partnership with Claro by his side.