IndyCar has pulled a controversial t-shirt for the upcoming Freedom 250 race in Washington DC after fans slammed the design online and called it offensive. The shirt showed former US President Abraham Lincoln wearing a racing helmet in front of the Lincoln Memorial. But it was the phrase printed around the image, “One Nation / One Race,” that quickly sparked anger across social media. The item was listed on IndyCar’s online store as a “fun graphic tee” and was reportedly priced at $50 before it disappeared from the website within hours. Fans, writers, and racing followers said the wording carried a harmful message and should never have been approved, especially with the event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.Several social media users openly criticized the company after screenshots of the shirt spread online. One fan wrote on X, “They really messed up with this and they know it.”Another user posted, “Tell me you only have white people working in your organization without telling me you only have white people working in your organization.” The backlash kept growing even after the shirt was removed from sale.
IndyCar removes Freedom 250 shirt after backlash over Abraham Lincoln “One Nation One Race” slogan
Motorsport writer Ryan Erik King from jalopnik.com also criticized the design and said, “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.” Motorsport historian Elizabeth Blackstock reacted in a similar way and wrote online, “What a fundamentally insane shirt for IndyCar to promote and sell.”The criticism became even stronger because the shirt featured Abraham Lincoln, the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War and helped end slavery in the United States. Many people felt the slogan carried racial undertones and was completely inappropriate for a public sporting event.In a statement shared with The Athletic, IndyCar confirmed the shirt had been taken down after receiving complaints from customers. “A shirt was removed from IndyCar’s online store following feedback from customers,” the company said. “We understand that some individuals found its phrasing concerning and therefore have remedied the situation.”According to IndyCar, the shirt first appeared on the website on Wednesday and was removed only a few hours later once criticism started building online. The Freedom 250 race is expected to take place later this summer around Washington DC’s National Mall as part of celebrations connected to America’s 250th anniversary. But before the event could even begin, the t-shirt controversy had already created unwanted attention for the racing series.
