IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward and series officials have expressed shock after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used imagery resembling the Mexican driver's car to promote a new immigration detention centre in Indiana, dubbed the 'Speedway Slammer'. The AI-generated image, posted on Tuesday, features an IndyCar-style vehicle with O’Ward’s number 5 and 'ICE' stamped on it, parked in front of a jail.
O’Ward, the only Mexican driver in the IndyCar series, said the post caught him 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,” he said on Wednesday. The driver, born in Monterrey, Mexico, learned of the post from a friend and said he had not read into it further.
IndyCar released a statement saying it was unaware of the plans to incorporate its imagery and has communicated its preference that its intellectual property not be used in relation to the matter. However, a DHS spokesperson defended the post, stating that an AI-generated image of a car with 'ICE' on the side does not violate intellectual property rights, and that the department will continue promoting the 'Speedway Slammer' as part of a collaborative approach to combat illegal immigration.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used the hashtag 'SpeedwaySlammer' when announcing the partnership with Indiana to expand detention space by 1,000 beds. O’Ward, currently second in the IndyCar standings, could see rival Alex Palou clinch the title as early as this weekend.
