'Diesel Brothers' star flies U.S.-Mexico flag at monster truck rally: 'I love what this cool flag stands for'

Hope Schreiber
·Writer

Dave Sparks, better known as Heavy D both on social media and on the Discovery channel show Diesel Brothers, earned a number of new fans following a recent performance at Monster Jam in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday.

Sparks admits that it wasn’t their finest performance due to mechanical issues, but says the spirited fans made the event worthwhile, including one excited fan who asked Sparks if he wanted his flag, which combined both the American and Mexican flag.

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“Anyone who knows me also knows that I am unapologetically patriotic and damn proud to be an American,” Heavy D shared on Instagram. “Last night before the show started, a very excited fan offered to let me have this cool flag that blends elements from both the US and Mexican flags.”

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This is the definition of mutual respect ✊🏼 . Anyone who knows me also knows that I am unapologetically patriotic and damn proud to be an American. Last night before the show started, a very excited fan offered to let me have this cool flag that blends elements from both the US and Mexican flags. Obviously it’s a novelty item and not an official flag which is why I feel it does not disrespect either country’s official flag. This is NOT something where any official flag was altered or sacrificed to make. It’s a simple design that somebody came up with and printed onto a piece of fabric to show pride in both countries. I also wouldn’t fly an official US flag on my truck due to the risk of it hitting the dirt during a crash. I love what this cool flag stands for. It shows that different races and cultures can coexist with love and respect for eachother. It also represents the huge Latino population here in El Paso, a town that sits right on the US-Mexico border. The sold-out crowd at Monster Jam last night was probably more than 70% Latino. However, everyone in that stadium, regardless of skin color, came out guns blazing with support for us and made Team BroDozer feel VERY welcome in this beautiful city. All the comments in this video are from fans who came out last night and didn’t quite get the show from the BroDozer that they were expecting yet they still decide to continue supporting us and making us feel welcome…this is amazing 🙌🏼 . This is not a political post. This is a post about humanity and an opportunity for me to thank everyone that has continued to support me over the years 👊🏼🇺🇸🇲🇽 #ProudToBeAnAmerican #VivaLaRaza #brodozer

A post shared by Dave Sparks (@heavydsparks) on Mar 3, 2019 at 11:49am PST

He went on to explain that the flag was a novelty item, and not an “official flag,” which is why he feels it “does not disrespect either country’s official flag.” “It’s a simple design that somebody came up with and printed onto a piece of fabric to show pride in both countries,” he wrote.

Sparks continued: “I love what this cool flag stands for. It shows that different races and cultures can coexist with love and respect for [each other]. It also represents the huge Latino population here in El Paso, a town that sits right on the US-Mexico border. The sold-out crowd at Monster Jam last night was probably more than 70% Latino,” he shared. “However, everyone in that stadium, regardless of skin color, came out guns blazing with support for us and made Team BroDozer feel VERY welcome in this beautiful city.”

His statements moved plenty of fans. One commenter shared, “This is what the youth needs to see. equality, respect and admiration for one another. thank you.” Another shared, “I know ya won’t read this but wanted to tell ya that this is a reason ya are so loved and respected… ya treat everyone equal and show the world how to not push away people but to bring them together.”

Naturally, since this is the Internet, not everyone agreed. Some commenters shared, “That’s desecrating the American flag,” and, “You can’t blend one countries flag with ours.” Another wrote: “Extremely disgraceful not to mention disrespectful.”

But as Sparks pointed out: “This is not a political post. This is a post about humanity and an opportunity for me to thank everyone that has continued to support me over the years.”

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