Bubba Wallace says Confederate flags should be removed from NASCAR tracks

Bubba Wallace says that confederate flags need to be banned from NASCAR tracks in light of the nationwide protests fighting for racial equality.

"My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags," Wallace told CNN. "No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them."

Wallace is currently NASCAR's only full-time black driver and before Sunday's race in Atlanta, he wore a shirt that read 'I Can't Breathe Black Lives Matter.' Confederate flags are a common staple of NASCAR races but Wallace says that the time has come for that to change.

"There's going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly but it's time for change," he said. "We have to change that, and I encourage NASCAR — we will have those conversations to remove those flags."

Other racers have been less definitive in speaking up against the flags, with Brad Keselowski saying it was 'not our call' despite his own dislike of the confederate flags at races. Wallace admits that he wasn't always against the flags but he is now committed to fighting for justice.

"What I'm chasing is checkered flags and that was kind of my narrative," Wallace said, "but diving more into it and educating myself, people feel uncomfortable with that, people talk about that — that's the first thing they bring up."

Wallace was asked about the popularity of the confederate flag but he said that is placing the focus on the wrong issue.

"We should not be able to have an argument over that," he said. "It is a thick line we cannot cross anymore."