Before the start of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR issued an official statement about the protests around the country following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd was included in the pre-race prayer, along with his family, and continued with a request for peace “in these turbulent times.”

The official statement from NASCAR reads:

“The NASCAR family, like so many others, is hurt and angered by the immensely troubling events that have taken place across our country in recent weeks. For us to heal and move forward as a nation, we all need to listen more and be united in the stand against racism, hatred, senseless violence, and loss of life. And we must all hold ourselves accountable to driving positive change.

While our sport has made progress over the years, there remains much work to be done and we fully embrace our responsibility to help bridge the racial divide that continues to exist in our country. We must do better and our commitment to promoting equality and inclusion continues and will never waver.