IndyCar Denies Request For Donald Trump, RFK Jr. Branding On Car's Bodywork

With the 2024 Presidential Election just months away, IndyCar is making it clear it wants nothing to do with politics. The open-wheel racing series is banning all political branding during next month's Indianapolis 500.

Still, an entry was filed to promote two presidential candidates — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump — on a car’s bodywork, according to Marshall Pruett of RACER. While it's unclear which driver or team submitted the entry, the request was denied.

"IndyCar does not approve sponsorships associated with elected officials, candidates for political office or political action committees," an IndyCar spokesperson said.

(Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

This isn't the first time a racing series has blocked an association with former president Trump. In March 2023, Trump was slated to be the Grand Marshal at The Million Dollar Challenge, a new IndyCar all-star race at the private Thermal road racing facility near Palm Springs, Calif. The event was supposed to be broadcast on NBC. But before Trump could show up to utter the immortal words, "Gentlemen, start your engines," someone squashed the deal.

And in 2018, Santino Ferrucci was stopped from running Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan on the side of his Formula 2 car.

Donald Trump was the Pace Car driver for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 in 2011.

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images  for Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

As for the Indy 500, the series has requested that the unnamed team present its car with "more traditional motor racing sponsors for the 108th Indy 500," according to RACER.

The Indianapolis 500 is known as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Last year’s race drew in 300,000 fans, and more than 2 million tuned into the race at home. It's no wonder political candidates want to get in front of that audience.