"Shocked" Pato O'Ward refuses to make sense of Homeland Security's ICE campaign involving IndyCar

NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty
NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Mexican IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward commented on Wednesday, August 6, about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent post on X regarding their ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) campaign. The post promoted plans for a detention facility in Indiana.

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The Department of Homeland Security's social media account on X uploaded an AI-generated image of what appears to be a current-generation IndyCar chassis on a racetrack, with a detention facility in the background. The caption for the post read “The Speedway Slammer”, which is the name of the facility.

The name references the history of Indiana, infamous for the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, what caught the eyes of the IndyCar officials, Team Penske, Pato O'Ward, and the fans was the fact that the AI-generated image has the #5 on it with an ICE livery.

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#5 belongs to the only Mexican driver on the current IndyCar grid, Pato O'Ward, which raised questions about DHS’s agenda behind the image. The Arrow McLaren driver, who threw the ceremonial pitch at the Globe Life Field ahead of the game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon, came out and commented about the DHS controversy.

“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,” said Pato O'Ward. (via AP News)
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The Mexican driver revealed that he only saw the post when a friend shared it with him, as he added,

“I haven’t really read into it too much because I don’t think I want to.”

IndyCar came out with a public statement after DHS’s post about “Speedway Slammer” and revealed that they were unaware of the plans to use the imagery, and have communicated the preference to not utilize their intellectual property going forward.

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DHS later came out and, in response to the statement, and denied violating anyone's intellectual property rights, as their statement read,

“Any suggestion to the contrary is absurd. DHS will continue promoting the 'Speedway Slammer' as a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration.”

Pato O'Ward attends the Yankees vs Rangers game to promote Arlington Grand Prix

Arlington Grand Prix will make its debut in the IndyCar calendar next year. The tickets for the same went on sale on Wednesday, August 6, at 10 am Central Time. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Pato O'Ward took to the Globe Life Field for a meet and greet with the fans before the game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees, and even threw the ceremonial first pitch.

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Speaking about the opportunity, Pato O'Ward said,

“I’m so excited to be racing in Texas again, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is going to put on a show in Arlington that you won’t want to miss.”
“It’s going to be a party. Partnering with the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment (the official sports and entertainment partner of the Texas Rangers) is huge, and it will set the standard for how every INDYCAR race weekend should be for the teams and the fans. March can’t come soon enough,” added Pato O'Ward. (via IndyCar)

The Arlington Grand Prix will take place from March 13-15 around a 2.73-mile, temporarily set-up street circuit.

Stay updated with the 2025 IndyCar schedule, standings, qualifying, results today, series news, and the latest IndyCar racing news all in one place.

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Edited by Mitali
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