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NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. supports NFL national anthem protesters

By Asher Fair

LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 24: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 24: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it clear that he is on the side of the NFL national anthem protesters, not the side of President Donald Trump and many NASCAR team owners.

President Donald Trump made headlines during a rally on Friday when he said it would be great to see NFL owners fire their players when they refuse to stand for the United States national anthem, referring to the protesters as SOB’s.

Many NFL players responded by protesting on Sunday in an attempt to fire back at Trump. More national anthem protests than had ever taken place before took place over the course of that day.

NASCAR team owners such as Richard Petty and Richard Childress responded unfavorably in regard to the protesters, saying that they would fire anyone on their racing teams that refused to stand for the national anthem, effectively siding with Trump.

Trump responded by praising the NASCAR world for their responses to the protesters.

PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING: Clearing up our recent article (the article you are currently reading) about Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Tweet

However, not everyone in the NASCAR world is in favor of Trump and these team owners that support him. In fact, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 14-time defending winner of the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, voiced his support for the protesters’ right to protest by quoting former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in a Tweet.

More from Dale Earnhardt Jr

Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking a subtle jab at President Trump is nothing new. Much of Trump’s presidential campaign was based on “building a wall” to drastically reduce the illegal immigration rate that had been on the rise.

Earnhardt Jr. posted a Tweet saying how his family had immigrated from Germany in the 1700s to escape religious persecution, and he went on to say that America is created by immigrants.

While many supported Earnhardt Jr. for that Tweet, he took a lot of heat for it as well, since he made no reference to the term “illegal” in illegal immigration, which is what Trump’s campaign was based on.

Next: 10 NASCAR drivers who deserve better rides

It will be interesting to see what other NASCAR drivers end up speaking up about their beliefs in regard to the national anthem protests. It will be even more interesting to see if any NASCAR drivers dare to protest themselves.

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