A “groundswell of pressure is starting to build on Indianapolis 500 officials to dump Donald Trump as pace car driver” at the May 29 race, according to Dan McFeely of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. A Facebook page has “rallied more than 7,500 supporters who have placed calls or posted comments on social media sites of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, corporate sponsor Izod and Chevrolet, sponsor of the pace car program.” When IMS announced April 5 that Trump would be the pace car driver, he was “not a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for president.” Since that time, Trump has “ignited a firestorm of protest when he demanded to see President Barack Obama's birth certificate and has since been accused of making racist remarks about Obama and African-Americans in general.” Some think IMS has “a legitimate reason to backtrack on the pace car invitation.” Jane Jankowski, spokesperson for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, yesterday said the decision is "up to the folks at the Speedway." She added the governor is in favor of "whatever sells tickets." IMS officials said that they “have heard the protests of racing fans.” IMS Dir of PR Doug Boles said, "We are monitoring the situation; it's on our radar, and we are taking a look at it" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/4).
