NASCAR team owners threaten to fire employees who protest the national anthem

Some NASCAR team owners took a tough stance on Sunday’s various NFL national anthem protests.

No protests took place during NASCAR Cup series race Sunday in Loudon, New Hampshire., the Associated Press reported.

Richard Petty, former NASCAR driver ripped into flag protesters in an interview with AP.

“Anybody that don’t stand up for the anthem oughta be out of the country. Period. What got ’em where they’re at? The United States.”

He later doubled down on this statement when a reporter asked him if a protester at Richard Petty Motorsports would be fired.

“You’re right,” he said.

Richard Childress, a former Dale Earnhardt team owner, told the AP that protesting would get get employees “a ride on a Greyhound bus.”

“Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America,” Childress said.

These comments come after President Donald Trump called any NFL player who kneels during a protest a “son of a b----,” and encouraged team owners to fire the player. The comments fired up various athletes in the NBA and NFL and inspired a wave of protests across the country in Sunday NFL games.

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 8:12 PM with the headline "NASCAR team owners threaten to fire employees who protest the national anthem."