TALLADEGA, Ala. \u2014 It cost $40 to get into Talladega Superspeedway if you were one of 5,000 people to purchase a ticket and live within 150 miles of the NASCAR staple.<\/p>\n

But to get to the seat in Row 26A, Seat 12W, you first had to weave down Talladega Blvd., perhaps passing dozens of people lining the road and proudly waving the Confederate flag.<\/p>\n

Look up, and you might spot a plane pulling a banner of the Southern symbol, now banned from being displayed inside race tracks, with the words \u201cDefund NASCAR\u201d<\/p>\n

The Confederate flags that once flew openly around the infield and stands are still for sale across the street. NASCAR hasn\u2019t disclosed how it will handle fans flying flags.<\/p>\n

The race was pushed back to Monday afternoon because of heavy rain and lightning. But before the rain came, the scene was a dramatic departure from the Talladega norm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird. It\u2019s eerie,\u201d said David Radvansky, 32, from suburban Atlanta, who brought his wife and boys, 3 and 6.<\/p>\n

Radvansky, who started coming to Talladega in the 1990s when his father parked cars at races, applauded NASCAR\u2019s decision to ban the Confederate flags.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a place for it in NASCAR, to be honest with you,\u201d the 32-year-old said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t sit well with all the good ole boys but it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans had to go through screening and wear masks to get in for the race, though a few were walking around inside without theirs on. But lines seemed to flow quickly and the sun was shining until about an hour before the race, when rain and lightning started.<\/p>\n

Bathrooms had arrows directing patrons which way to enter or exit, and attendants lined the way holding signs urging them to \u201cplease wear your masks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickups truck with Confederate flags flying from the back tooled around Speedway Boulevard. Ed Sugg\u2019s merchandise tent flew them prominently in a display alongside Trump for 2020 banners and an American flag.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re doing very well,\u201d said the Helena, Alabama resident, who has been selling an array of wares at NASCAR races for 21 years. \u201cPeople are disappointed that NASCAR has taken that stance. It\u2019s been around for as long as all of us have been. I don\u2019t think anybody really connects it to any kind of racism or anything. It\u2019s just a Southern thing. It\u2019s transparent. It\u2019s just a heritage thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longtime racing fan Faron Elam, meanwhile, wasn\u2019t thrilled by the fan restrictions and more minimal atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ain\u2019t racing,\u201d said Elam, a 50-year-old from Cottondale, Alabama. \u201cThis is nothing like it used to be. You used to come up here and have fun, go to all the souvenir trucks, everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got two out front now. That\u2019s all you\u2019ve got and if you don\u2019t like who\u2019s in it, then you don\u2019t get anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then again, it was to provide the key element for the fan of everything from dirt track to drag racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust anything with speed,\u201d Elam said.<\/p>\n