IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward and series officials were shocked by a social media post from the Department of Homeland Security that touted plans for an immigration detention center in Indiana dubbed the "Speedway Slammer" and used an image of a car with the same number as the only Mexican driver in the series.
"It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard," O'Ward said Wednesday. "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."
The post Tuesday included an image of a IndyCar-style vehicle with the No. 5 that had "ICE" imposed on it multiple times similar to the display of a sponsor. It appeared to be a computer-created image, with the car on a track and a prison-like building in the background.
Indiana is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and is where the IndyCar Series is based.
"We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday's announcement," IndyCar said in a statement Wednesday. "Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a separate post Tuesday used the phrase "Speedway Slammer" when announcing the partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention space by 1,000 beds.
A DHS spokesperson said there were no plans to change the imagery.
"An AI generated image of a car with 'ICE' on the side does not violate anyone's intellectual property rights. Any suggestion to the contrary is absurd," the spokesperson said in statement. "DHS will continue promoting the 'Speedway Slammer' as a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combatting illegal immigration."
O'Ward said he didn't see the post until a friend texted him about it.
"I haven't really read into it too much because I don't think I want to," he said.
O'Ward, 26, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, is second in points, though Álex Palou can clinch the IndyCar season title as early as this weekend in Portland. O'Ward was in Texas to promote next year's inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington.
That race on March 15 will be on a 2.7-mile layout that goes around the home stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers. O'Ward threw a ceremonial first pitch before the Rangers' game against the New York Yankees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.