FACT CHECK: Did NASCAR Fine A Driver For Disrespecting The National Anthem?

April 25th, 2024
Aug 22, 2020; Dover, Delaware, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (42) lead a restart during the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover International Speedway. Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

A post shared on social media purports a NASCAR driver was fined for protesting the National Anthem.

 

Verdict: False

This claim is inaccurate.

Fact Check:

NASCAR driver Erik Jones broke his back during Talladega Superspeedway’s Geico 500 event, Fox News reported. Jones suffered a broken lower vertebra and mentioned pain in his back on his radio right after the crash.

A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleges that Rajah Caruth was fined for standing not honoring the National Anthem before a race. The video shows a man in a shirt with an American flag design reacting to the claim. A photo of driver Rajah Caruth standing with his hand behind his back next to a man with a hat over his heart is shown in the background.

The caption reads, “NASCAR fines Rajah Caruth $100K for disrespecting our National Anthem, telling him, “we don’t do that here”. It’s official, I love NASCAR!  If he does it again, disqualify him!!”

The claim is inaccurate. It appears to stem from an X account called America’s Last Line of Defense. The account features a satire disclaimer in their bio that reads, “The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery. Nothing on this page is real.” (RELATED: Does Video Show Explosion At Francis Scott Key Bridge?)

Furthermore, there is no announcement on the NASCAR website or on a record of NASCAR penalties. Rajah Caruth has not mentioned any fines related to the alleged incident on his X account.

NASCAR did remove guidelines that demanded team members must stand for the National Anthem, according to NBC. Kirk Price, a NASCAR official, knelt in protest at an event after the guidelines were removed.

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim the Royal Family admitted to using a surrogate.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter