IndyCar dragged into controversy with Trump administration's ICE car, 'Speedway Slammer'
'The Speedway Slammer'' is what the Trump administration is calling it.
'COMING SOON to Indiana: The Speedway Slammer,'' Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, wrote on her X account Aug. 5. 'Today, we're announcing a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention bed space by 1,000 beds.''
In her post, Noem also thanked Indiana governor Michael Braun 'for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country. If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana's Speedway Slammer. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the @CBP.''
Homeland Security also issued the image of an Indy car emblazoned with the letters ICE – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – and No. 5, which belongs to NTT IndyCar Series driver Pato O'Ward, the only Mexican in the Indy 500 and the series this year.
The car appears to be driving past a prison.
The Speedway Slammer 🏁 pic.twitter.com/fXlTgWW8jA
O'Ward, who drives for Arrow McLaren, is ranked second in points in the 2025 season and has won two races this year.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the use of the 5 was purposeful to point to O'Ward or if it was just a coincidence. Outside the number, the car lacked any other connections to O'Ward's traditional black-and-papaya-colored chassis. A spokesperson for Arrow McLaren declined to comment when reached by the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, regarding the matter.
Border Czar Tom Homan, asked about requests not to use the name Speedway, said he didn't know who specifically was behind the name.
"I don't want the names [to detract from] the great work they're doing," Homan said. 'This is serious work and it's dangerous work."
Penske Entertainment, which owns Indianapolis Speedway and the NTT IndyCar Series, provided a statement to The Star in which it said it was unaware of plans to incorporate its imagery as part of the announcement.
'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,'' Penske Entertainment said.
Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation, received the medal of freedom from President Donald Trump during Trump's first term in the White House. Penske Entertainment is a subsidiary of Penske Corporation.
The Speedway Slammer joins "Alligator Alcatraz,'' a detention center in Florida that marked the only other partnership with a state to expand ICE detention capacity.
'We are proud to work with President Trump and Secretary Noem as they remove the worst of the worst with this innovative partnership,' said Braun, Indiana's governor, said in news release issued by DHS. 'Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states.'
Contributing: Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star
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