--- title: NASCAR 'Disappointed' in Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act description: Sports league joins a growing chorus of corporate dissenters canonical: https://time.com/3765692/nascar-disappointed-indiana-religious-freedom-law/ author: Victor Luckerson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-31T17:31:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:17.187Z article:section: Politics og:title: NASCAR Is ‘Disappointed’ in Indiana's Religious Freedom Law og:description: The sports league joins a growing chorus of critics og:url: https://time.com/3765692/nascar-disappointed-indiana-religious-freedom-law/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASCAR Is ‘Disappointed’ in Indiana's Religious Freedom Law twitter:description: The sports league joins a growing chorus of critics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # NASCAR ‘Disappointed’ in Indiana's Religious Freedom Law > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fc3adc90-aac0-4583-b8d7-44d8206e2223&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Indiana Gov: No License to Discriminate [Watch (HLS stream): Indiana Gov: No License to Discriminate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/10Zkax5x.m3u8) (0:48)  _Published 2015-03-31. Indiana Gov: No License to Discriminate_ by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Mar 31, 2015 5:31 PM UTC by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Mar 31, 2015 5:31 PM UTC NASCAR says it is disappointed by the passage of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which critics say could be used to discriminate against gay people. “We will not embrace nor participate in exclusion or intolerance,” NASCAR said in a statement issued to [NBC Sports](http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/31/nascar-disappointed-in-indianas-religious-freedom-restoration-act/). “We are committed to diversity and inclusion within our sport and therefore will continue to welcome all competitors and fans at our events in the state of Indiana and anywhere else we race.” The law, which backers say is supposed to ensure religious freedom for people in the state, has come under fire from both gay rights advocates who feel it could be used to deny service to gay people and corporations who fear the law could hurt businesses in Indiana if the state gains an anti-gay stigma. Other sports organizations, such as the NCAA, have also expressed concern over the new law, as have prominent businesspeople such as Apple CEO Tim Cook. At a Tuesday press conference Indiana Governor Mike Pence said he would push lawmakers to [amend the law](http://time.com/3765505/mike-pence-indiana-religious-freedom/) so that it explicitly states that businesses can’t use it to discriminate against anyone. ## Transcript The smear here against this bill is that i created a license to discriminate. Or a license to deny services. And that's just completely false, and baseless. Professor Conkle, of that I quoted in my editorial this morning in the Wall Street Journal. Said it well. This is not a license. There's no license to discriminate. And so I think the [ COUGH ]. I think the proper legislative remedy is to focus on the perception that has been created by the mischaracterization that. And, and to make it clear. 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