By Jared Turner

With the entire country abuzz about President Donald Trump’s Sunday morning Twitter comments criticizing professional athletes who choose to take a knee rather than stand during the national anthem, all NASCAR team members stood at attention — in their customary fashion — during Sunday’s Star-Spangled Banner at New Hampshire. Meanwhile, two prominent team owners and NASCAR Hall of Famers — seven-time driving champion Richard Petty and six-time champion owner Richard Childress — were asked to weigh in on how they would react if a member of their respective race teams refused to stand during the national anthem. Petty said anyone who doesn’t stand should be “out of the country. Period.” Childress, meanwhile, threatened to fire any employee of Richard Childress Racing who didn’t stand during the anthem. “Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in,” Childress said. “So many people gave their lives for it. This is America.’’