DOOR OPENS FOR ANOTHER DAY AT THE RACES
CFLER and his race car driver fiancee applaud NASCAR ban on Confederate flag
Race car driver Amber Balcaen couldn’t wait to show her fiance, Jordan Reaves, the inner workings of a NASCAR event.
She set up an incredible experience at Daytona Speedway for the defensive end from the CFL’S Saskatchewan Roughriders, taking him into the garage, where cars were being prepared for a race, through the pit area before and during the action, and around the grandstands at stock car racing’s most famous venue.
“We went into Kurt Busch’s pit box and we got to see them do a pit stop up close,” Reaves said. “I went from never watching NASCAR to being in love with it. It was exhilarating, amazing.” Then he saw the flags.
“When I saw that Confederate flag, I didn’t want to go back to another NASCAR event,” Reaves said.
Reaves, 30, and Balcaen, 28, are a biracial couple from Winnipeg. They went to high school together and now live together in Charlotte, N.C., where she’s been trying to become a regular on the NASCAR circuit for the last six years. They’re engaged to be married in January 2021.
But they’re hardly the picture of who you might expect to see hanging around a NASCAR race track. In fact, Reaves, who is Black, quickly realized how much they stood out.
“It wasn’t my realm. I didn’t feel comfortable being there,” he said. “I felt like everyone was looking at me like, ‘Why are you here? Why are you in the pit area? You don’t belong here.’”
“It’s an unsettling feeling, especially being in the South.”
Both Reaves and Balcaen are thrilled to see that NASCAR has banned the Confederate flag from its events in light of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota and the resulting worldwide protests against racism.
“In my opinion, there’s just no need for it to be in the sport,” Balcaen said.
“Especially as someone who is dating a person of colour. Hopefully a lot more people will feel welcome to come to the races because of this.”
Reaves, who has played two CFL seasons, is the son of Winnipeg Blue Bombers all-time great running back Willard Reaves and the brother of Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves.
Balcaen hails from a long line of race car drivers. She made a mark on the junior NASCAR circuit early in her career — becoming the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR sanctioned race in 2016 — and has been battling for a ride ever since. She signed on with Kyle Busch Motorsports for a couple of events in 2018, but hasn’t been able to land consistent sponsorship necessary to move up the NASCAR ranks.
Lately she’s been driving in the National POWRI Series on dirt tracks in the American Midwest. She’s still shooting for NASCAR sponsorship and has gained some fame as a regular on the new Country Music Television show Racing Wives. She’s in talks to appear in the second season, as well.
Even before the Floyd tragedy, Balcaen was speaking out about racism, posting a heartfelt message on Instagram shortly after videos of the death of Ahmaud Arbery, at the hands of white vigilantes in Georgia, came out.
Her appeal for racism to stop and for love and kindness to conquer all — accompanied by a picture of her and Reaves in a loving embrace — was met with some horrific comments on the social media site.
“I’ve received tons of hateful messages, comments, DMS,” Balcaen said. “I’ve had to block the N-word on Instagram so people can’t type the N-word on my feed.”
Among the comments on her post were people calling her
“the definition of trash,” saying her father “clearly didn’t teach (her) the difference between right and wrong,” and telling her she “brings great shame and is a disgrace to her people.”
“I can’t comprehend it,” Balcaen said.
“I can’t wrap my head around why it’s an issue even. Jordan and I love each other, we treat each other with respect and we support each other 100 per cent. I support him in his football and he supports me in my racing.”
Living in North Carolina has definitely been a different experience for the couple. It’s not just at the race tracks where they have experienced racism.
“Jordan and I have definitely experienced the dirty looks, people either staring at us or not making eye contact with us,” Balcaen said. “It’s something I didn’t ever even think of before we started dating because he’s just Jordan Reaves to me. He’s someone I’ve known since high school.”
One incident Reaves remembers well occurred at an RV park near a track where Balcaen was scheduled to race.
“I would stay with her parents in a motorhome at an RV park before the race,” Reaves said.
“At the RV park, our neighbours, both on the left and right, had Confederate flags. The people across from us had a Confederate flag.
“I remember getting out of the car and just seeing all of them staring at me, not blinking, just focused laser beams. From then on, I didn’t feel comfortable in the RV park anymore.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to sleep. Was someone going to come in because they don’t appreciate the colour of my skin?”
At least that one symbol of racism and hatred will no longer be allowed inside NASCAR venues, and Reaves believes that opens the door for him to return, along with many other people who would have felt uncomfortable.
“That flag represents racism, it represents hate, it represents going against the abolishment of slavery,” Reaves said.
“It’s unsettling, knowing that people are flying that flag for a reason that’s against your values and your beliefs.
“It’s a long time coming. It’s unfortunate that it took such a tragic event for the subject to be brought to light, but for me, I’m so happy that the flag is finally gone and I can go back to these races now and enjoy watching the race.
“Before when I would go to a race, I was watching for how many Confederate flags there were, which area the majority of the flags were in, knowing I would stay away from those area.
“It just took away from the race.”