NASCAR accused of 'catering to bigot crowd' with sneaky Pride Month post
NASCAR has been accused of sneaking its support of Pride Month under the radar - and out of the way of the prying eyes of its fans.
Sunday June 1 marked the first day of 2025's Pride Month and many sporting organizations shared social media posts honoring the LGBTQ+ community.
The NBA, NFL, MLB and WNBA all celebrated the beginning of the month-long commemoration. However, NASCAR noticeably didn't join them.
The racing body has previously celebrated Pride Month, sharing a post on June 1 last year which claimed it was 'proud' to support the festivities.
But this year, as the beginning of June came and went, any form of similar celebration was absent from all social media platforms - except one.
Eagle-eyed racing fans noticed that on June 2 - one day after the official beginning of Pride Month - NASCAR shared a lone celebratory post on LinkedIn.
NASCAR has been accused of sneaking its support of Pride Month under the radar
NASCAR's lone post to celebrate Pride Month was shared to LinkedIn on June 2
'We celebrate the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month and beyond,' the brief message read.
The bizarre platform choice sparked backlash among some fans, who accused the circuit of attempting to sneak their recognition of the community past their traditionally more conservative fanbase.
One social media user shared a screenshot of the LinkedIn post to X and questioned: 'Hey @NASCAR is there a reason you'll post this on LinkedIn but not any other social media platform?'
'Excuse me?? LinkedIn??? Oh we HAVE to have more courage than that,' another slammed, while a third noted: 'only on LinkedIn is crazy work.'
'figured nascar was just going full mask-off "f*** you" because they don't want to be like the sports leagues with actual viewership but posting "happy pride" exclusively on linkedin makes it worse,' another claimed.
One furious user hit out, posting: 'Simple messages of support will never hold anyone back. Almost every major sports league and organization has posted in support of Pride. As long as NASCAR caters to the boomer bigot crowd, they will continue to struggle to stay mainstream.'
'cant say it with their chest because half the fanbase will have a f***ing meltdown because they're little snowflakes over anything 'pride',' another claimed.
NASCAR has previously been supportive of the LGBTQ+ community even releasing Pride merchandise featuring 'YAAASCAR' and 'Love Wins' slogans on T-shirts in honor of Pride Month in 2022.
Social media users slammed the racing circuit for failing to post to any other platform
The racing body has previously supported the LGBTQ+ community with Pride merchandise
Donald Trump waves to NASCAR fans as he holds the hand of granddaughter Carolina
In February, the president showed his face at NASCAR's showpiece Daytona 500 event
However, since the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January, the racing organization appears to have backtracked.
In February, the president showed his face at NASCAR's showpiece Daytona 500 event in Florida, where he took a loop around the track before the race got underway.
One month later, conservative activist Riley Gaines, who has been outspoken in her campaigning against transgender athletes competing in women's sports, led a pre-race prayer at before the NASCAR Cup Series' EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
For years, brands have poured millions into Pride celebrations, draping themselves in rainbow colors and sponsoring parades as a way to attract talent and boost their reputations with the LGBTQ+ community .
But that support has turned and many corporations are now withdrawing public support.
According to a recent Gravity Research survey of executives at more than 200 major companies, 39 percent said their brands are scaling back Pride visibility this year.
It comes amid pressure from the Trump administration, which has vocally opposed DEI initiatives and criticized corporate support for Pride.
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