NASCAR driver says violent protests in Charlotte 'makes you sick to your gut'

LOUDON, N.H. – With few exceptions, NASCAR drivers call the Charlotte area their home. So like the rest of the Charlotte community this week, drivers were troubled by the violence that stemmed from protests in the city.

“It’s an emotional reaction,” Joey Logano said. “A lot of times when you see things like this happen, it’s in a different city and you don’t recognize where it’s at. But when you see the NASCAR (office tower) building getting vandalized and you see areas of the city you know very well with crazy things happening, it makes you sick to your gut. You don’t know what to do and you kind of feel helpless.”

There have been protests in Charlotte for the past three days following the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. The demonstrations turned violent Tuesday and Wednesday nights before a peaceful Thursday night under an imposed curfew from midnight-6 a.m.

Keith Lamont Scott's wife releases cell phone video of shooting

The protests have been covered live worldwide, and drivers are watching like everyone else.

“All we can do really is say some prayers and hope eventually everything calms down and everyone is able to come to some kind of peace at the end of this thing and we can move forward and make our world better,” Logano said. “Right now it’s a scary situation. When I see buildings getting vandalized, it’s unacceptable in my opinion and we need to figure out how to control that and do it in a peaceful way.”

NASCAR Hall of Fame damaged in Charlotte protests

Included in the vandalism that occurred in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday night was damage to the NASCAR Plaza office tower – which had its lobby windows shattered – and some exterior windows at the adjacent NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Matt Kenseth was at the NASCAR Plaza tower earlier Wednesday, just hours before the damage occurred.

Kenseth said he has not followed the coverage as closely as other people have but “just hope it stops.”

“I don’t know enough about what actually happened to start it all,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to live in a free country, and peaceful protests and demonstrations are OK. Certainly, the violence and vandalism and theft isn’t. It’s not making things better in that sense. Hopefully they get it all figured out.”

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority oversees the NASCAR Hall of Fame building and the convention center next door, and its director of communications said Thursday both buildings would host planned events as scheduled, hours after the damage occurred.

NASCAR had no comment Friday.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck