"Everyone knew, everyone was aware; never really had any confrontations," openly gay race-car driver Stephen Rhodes told NASCAR Race Hub. "There was one, little incident that happened that I felt was geared towards who I was, more than anything. That kind of made me second-guess the sport for a second, but at the end of the day, it didn't really bother me."

Rhodes was something called a "late-model stock competitor" (which we're pretty sure isn't as dirty as it sounds) before he left the sport to open a restaurant in his North Carolina hometown.  But with business thriving, he's thinking about getting back to the track and entering the NASCAR circuit.

Many NASCAR drivers, including Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and Roush-Fenway Racing standout Carl Edwards, say they're totally ready for an openly gay competitor. But if comments on the Race Hub thread are to be believed, fans aren't so evolved:

"Don't they have their own channel?"

"I think it would give a whole new meaning to "Bump Drafting"

"He is playing the gay card to get a ride, just like Jason Collins play the gay card to get a new contract."