Trump Bumped out of Indy 500 Pace Car

After facing increasing grass roots pressure, including a Facebook page with 17,500 likes urging his removal, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that Donald Trump has removed himself as driver of the Indianapolis 500 pace car in this years race. Quoted in The Indianapolis Star, Trump said the following:

“I very much appreciate the honor, but time and business constraints make my appearance there, especially with the necessary practice sessions, impossible to fulfill,” Trump said. “I look forward to watching the race from New York.”

The choice of Trump as pace car driver has faced fierce and increasing resistance. A local lawyer, Michael Wallack, created the "We Don't Want Donald Trump to Drive the Indy 500 Pace Car" Facebook page April 8. The page lists numerous reasons why Trump should not be allowed the privilege of leading the field many of which will be familiar to Daily Kos readers. From the page:

But most problematic of all is his recent descent into the "birther" movement. Make no mistake, the "birther" movement is largely a racist movement (whether overtly or subtly, knowingly or unknowingly). And as Trump has gone from TV show to TV show spouting his birther beliefs he has been spouting lie after lie after lie, including numerous statements that have been debunked years ago. And rather than back away from statements that are show to be lies, he keeps "doubling down" and adding the list of lies that he's repeating.

Rather than talk about issues, he spends his time self-promoting and working to delegitimize the President. In recent weeks, Trump has shown himself to be no different than Glenn Beck.

I have no problem if Trump disklikes President Obama or his policies. But to step over the line into the realm of conspiracy-mongering is not good for politics or for America. And it should not be rewarded with the honor of driving the pace car at the Indianapolis 500.

As of today, 17,500 people agreed and have "liked" the page.

Beyond the Facebook page, opposition was growing in other areas. The Star reported that a group of Baptist ministers were also against Trump's selection because of his "petulant, poisonous and racist remarks". That group called on the Speedway to exclude Trump from the race.

The Star reports that on Face the Nation Trump's remarks about President Obama's time at Harvard were called "racist":

Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson said recently on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Trump's comments about Obama's ability to get into Harvard despite not being a "good student" was racist, as it questioned a black man's intelligence.

Opponents of Trump also put pressure on Izod and Chevrolet, both sponsors of the race.

With a crowd approaching 300,000 in person ticket holders and a worldwide television audience of many millions more Trump surely felt pacing the race had the potential to give him some much needed positive publicity. However, with the opposition growing the calculus was quickly shifting for Trump who must have realized the growing opposition would mean his race day appearance would be overshadowed by the controversy.

No news yet on who will replace Trump as pace car driver. Speculation has been that the IMS will choose a former racer or less controversial celebrity. Presumably Sarah Palin is not being considered for the job given fears she would only drive half the race and then quit. Regardless of the replacement driver this is certainly a victory for those who felt a polarizing, hyper-partisan, and arguably racist celebrity such as Donald Trump had no business participating in the Indy 500, billed as the Worlds Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

It didn't take long for them to find a new pace car driver. Replacing Trump will be A.J Foyt, the first 4-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a legend in open wheel racing.