Several NASCAR drivers cut ties with helmet artist over Confederate flag comments
NASCAR Cup Series drivers Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have cut ties with a helmet artist because of comments he made on social media after the organization announced a ban of the Confederate flag at its events and properties.
Bubba Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in the Cup Series, seems very unlikely to work with Jason Beam of BEAMdesigns anymore as well.
“As person I’ve done business with in the past and ALWAYS respected the work you’ve done for ones in the industry. You made it clear of where you stand in today’s matter,” Wallace tweeted to Beam on Thursday. “All respect lost for ya dawg.”
Wallace added the hashtag #garbage.
NASCAR announced its decision to ban the flags Wednesday, two days after Wallace called for it during a CNN interview. Beam unleashed a barrage of tweets criticizing the move and attempting to explain his position. Here’s a sampling:
At one point Thursday, a Twitter user tagged Johnson and Blaney and asked the drivers to end their relationships with Beam.
Beam scoffed at the notion, tweeting that the drivers “don’t let opinions on history get under their skin.”
Hours later, however, he was proven wrong, as Johnson and Blaney tweeted they would no longer be using Beam’s services because of his recent tweets.
Logano soon joined the fold, tweeting “it’s important for me to be associated with like minded people.”
Beam said he respected the drivers’ decisions.
But he doesn’t appear to be backing down anytime soon.
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