close

John Schneider and Bubba Watson

“I’ve heard that he took the flag off, but, honestly, I have no reason to believe that that’s true,” Schneider said. The actor was promoting his new independent film “Christmas Cars,” in which he defends the General Lee against claims that it is an inherently racist symbol.

Watson bought the fully restored car at auction in 2012 for $121,000. It’s the actual General Lee seen jumping over a police cruiser in the show’s opening credits. Designated Lee1 by the production team, it was later repainted and reused in a different role, then sent to a Georgia junkyard where it was rediscovered over 20 years later. Hundreds of stunt cars were used during the show’s seven-season run, but Watson’s is one of just two known to have survived from the Georgia shoots, before production was moved to California.

A longtime fan of the show, Watson called it his “dream car” and often drove it in public, but the Confederate flag painted on the roof soon became an issue when NASCAR decided to cancel a scheduled parade lap by him and the car before the Phoenix race that year.

“The image of the Confederate flag is not something that should play an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive,” the racing series said.

“Obviously, I don’t stand for the Confederate flag,” Watson said at the time. “The Confederate flag was not used (in the show) for what people see it as today, so that’s sad. But NASCAR was built on moonshining, so the show was built on moonshining. I thought it was fun. I didn’t buy the car to get publicity; I bought it because I love it.”

Watson’s General Lee seen parked at the TPC Scottsdale golf club near where he lives in 2012. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

DETROIT “SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT” EVENT CANCELLED OVER CONFEDERATE FLAG FLAP

Three years later, during the widespread removal of Confederate symbols across the U.S., Watson tweeted, “All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee #USA”

The Volo Auto Museum, which owns the only other surviving Georgia General Lee, quickly offered to buy the car from Watson and keep it as-is, but said he never responded to them.

However, Florida-born, University of Georgia graduate Watson never released any images of the updated car or proof that he made the switch, prompting Schneider’s doubt.

“No, I don’t think that he would do that,” Schneider said. “I certainly have not done that and I’m from New York.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While the current value of the car is hard to pin down, classic car experts tell Fox News that, despite the controversy, replacing the flag would likely have a negative impact on what it would be worth if sold today.

Neither Watson nor his representatives have responded to requests for comment about the status of the car from Fox News.

The Associated Press contributed to this report