Pato O'Ward has shared a firm message in response to the backlash he received for mourning Charlie Kirk. The IndyCar driver of Mexican descent had shared a few Instagram stories after the American conservative political activist was shot dead on Thursday during a Utah university event.O'Ward's first IG story was a reshared post of a past image of Kirk with his wife and two daughters, with the text: "Rest in Peace Charlie." The Arrow McLaren driver's second story was another reshared post, wherein the author had sympathized with Charlie Kirk's family. You can look at his now-deleted stories that a fan shared on X:Though Pato O'Ward didn't explicitly make any political statement, many fans lashed out at him for mourning Kirk, who was perceived as a controversial figure to some because of his political views about abortion, guns, and his clear stance against illegal immigration, including those from the Mexican border.O'Ward deleted those two IG stories, but later proceeded to post two more on similar lines, offering condolences after Charlie Kirk's demise. Many social media users perceived his show of condolences as a show of support for the 31-year-old TPUSA founder's political views, which the Arrow McLaren driver firmly silenced with a lengthy post via his social media channels."Saying this today felt fitting. I don’t stand for murder. I don’t stand for violence PERIOD. Anything additional: is lies. People are choosing to distort and degrade who I am to fit a false narrative that serves their moral agenda by assuming, embellishing, dramatizing, and completely fabricating my beliefs as they see fit. That is why I choose not to speak on any of these topics," Pato O'Ward wrote.The 25-year-old further emphasized his love and respect for both Mexico, his motherland, and the USA, where he grew up (Texas), and built his professional racing career."I’ve been called many things in the last 24 hours - but let me make something crystal clear about who I am. My name is Patricio O’Ward. I’m 26 years old, born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. Every time I get in a race car, I carry my country’s flag on the crown of my head. I race for Mexico PROUDLY. I currently reside in the United States on a working visa. The U.S. has become home to me as I’ve grown, learned, and been challenged here. I remain proud of where I come from and where I am. I know who I AM," he concluded.Pato O'Ward @PatricioOWardLINKSaying this today felt fitting. I don’t stand for murder. I don’t stand for violence PERIOD. Anything additional: is lies. People are choosing to distort and degrade who I am to fit a false narrative that serves their moral agenda by assuming, embellishing, dramatizing, andBefore Pato O'Ward, many other IndyCar drivers, including retired drivers like Danica Patrick, had mourned Charlie Kirk and sent condolences to his widow and two daughters via social media messages.Pato O'Ward was "shocked" by the US government's ICE campaign which 'coincidentally' involved himPato O'Ward at the NTT INDYCAR Series BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland - Source: GettyIn early August, Pato O'Ward was accidentally involved in the US government's ICE-related campaign to promote the "Speedway Slammer," a new detention facility in Indiana for illegal immigrants. Without prior notification to IndyCar, a series with its heart in Indiana, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used an AI-generated picture of an Indy car, with a prison-like structure in the background, to promote the facility via social media platform X.Moreover, the DHS used the number 5 on the car, which O'Ward, the only Mexican driver in the racing series, uses. This led to the DHS receiving mass backlash for involving a Mexican driver in an ICE campaign against illegal immigration.Pato O'Ward addressed the matter a few days later, expressing how 'shocked' he was at the 'coincidental' link. He said (via AP News):"It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard. I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means. ... I don’t think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least. I haven’t really read into it too much because I don’t think I want to."The DHS eventually deleted the X post and posted a similar AI-generated image with more Indy cars, but no numbers were visible on any car.