NASCAR returns to its origin

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Sit-Down Strike in Flint, three NASCAR-related exhibits with UAW sponsorship are in Flint. The exhibits are open to the public this weekend.

With the theme "Ordinary People Changing the World," the activities are sponsored by UAW Region 1-C and the Flint Cultural Center. The free exhibits, which arrived in three semitrailers Friday morning, are among numerous activities taking place Labor Day weekend in the Flint Cultural Center and other areas. The exhibits, located in the parking lot next to the Sloan Museum in the Cultural Center, are open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

According to Gary Alred, head of the exhibit, people coming to the exhibit will not only learn about NASCAR and the UAW, they'll be a part of history. This is the first time the UAW-Dodge, UAW-GM, and UAW-Ford car racing exhibits have all been on display in the same location at a non-racing event, Alred explained.

"It's like remembering the signing of the Declaration of Independence," Alred added. "People need to know where they came from and (the Sit-Down Strike) was the birth of the union."