IndyCar quickly hit the brakes on sales for a shirt that was criticized as “racist” and “insensitive.”
The North American open-wheel racing league removed a shirt for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race, which is being held in Washington D.C. this summer.
The shirt featured an image of an IndyCar driver sitting on the Lincoln Memorial with the motto “One nation, one race.”
The design quickly prompted backlash online, with several users slamming the message and questioning how it was approved in the first place.
“IndyCar selling a ‘One Nation, One Race’ t-shirt for the Freedom 250 is incredibly insensitive and inflammatory. This is something that should never have been approved,” one user posted on X, sharing a picture of the shirt and a link to IndyCar’s online store, which has since been taken down.
“As a dedicated fan of the sport, I would like to see IndyCar and Roger Penske issue an apology for its racist AI shirt design,” another user wrote.
Within hours of an image of the shirt being posted on X, it was taken off the IndyCar online store and the racing loop issued a statement, which acknowledged the “concerning” nature of the message.
“A shirt was removed from INDYCAR’s online store following feedback from customers,” IndyCar said in a statement, per the Huffington Post. “We understand that some individuals found its phrasing concerning and therefore have remedied the situation.”
What is the Freedom 250 race?
The race, which will be held on August 22-23 on the streets of the U.S. capital, is part of America’s 250th anniversary.
The track layout will see the high-speed cars race down Pennsylvania Ave. and loop around the National Mall.
The race will be one of several large events in the Washington D.C. area to celebrate the milestone anniversary, with President Donald Trump also set to host a UFC event on the White House lawn on June 14.