Ray Ciccarelli claims family was abused on social media after NASCAR retirement decision

NASCAR driver Ray Ciccarelli endured the wrath of fans on social media after he announced his retirement from the racing promotion at the end of the season. Ciccarelli expressed his disappointment with NASCAR banning the Confederate flag as well as protests during the national anthem. Amid protests against racism in the United States, Ray Ciccarelli's controversial comments did not go down well with fans and his NASCAR peers. 

Also Read | Ray Ciccarelli Quits NASCAR Over Decision To Ban 'racist' Confederate Flags

Ray Ciccarelli quits NASCAR, says his family was abused on social media

After a week of social media bashing, Ray Ciccarelli says his wife and family endured the same fate as he did on social media. "My wife, my family have been attacked and abused on social media," Ciccarelli told TMZ. "It’s just heartbreaking. Ciccarelli further adds that his comments were largely misunderstood by the masses and hence the backlash was unwarranted. 

According to reports, the 50-year-old initially withdrew from this past weekend's NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. However, he did participate in the race, finishing at 29th place. During the interview, Ciccarelli said his post on Facebook was not to defend the Confederate flag, but it was to say that he understood both sides' feelings towards the flag. 

Also Read | Who Is Ray Ciccarelli? Twitter Roasts NASCAR Driver Who Quits Over Confederate Flag Ban

He further noted that banning the NASCAR confederate flag pleases one section of the crowd. It is also entirely possible that doing the same will offend another section, per Ray Ciccarelli. "My viewpoint, all I was trying to say is how do you take [the flag] from one group and help support the group that it offends and then what do you do to the group that you took it from? Now, they get outraged," he explained. 

In his now-deleted Facebook post, Ray Ciccarelli said he was also against kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of protest. During the interview, however, the NASCAR driver backtracked on his previous comments stating he does not have a problem if someone wants to kneel during the anthem. As far as on his stance about quitting NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season, Ciccarelli said his decision will be announced soon.

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Ray Ciccarelli's now-deleted Facebook post

"I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl (people) that do and it doesn't make them a racist," he wrote in his post. "All ou are doing is f****ng one group to cater to another." Cicarelli concluded his post stating he does not want to get involved with the "political BS" and hence decided to step away from racing. 

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