NASCAR distances itself from Donald Trump following inflammatory immigration

Donald Trump has not responded to this latest corporate divorce.

(UPDATED BELOW) For the past few years, NASCAR has held its annual Camping World Truck Series Awards Banquet at the Trump National Doral Golf Club Hotel in Miami.

Trump raised eyebrows last week when he directed derogatory comments toward Mexican immigrants, suggesting they are responsible for the rise in drug dealers and rapists in America.

NASCAR announced Friday it won’t return to the Trump National Doral for its Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series award ceremonies, a few hours after a high-profile sponsor threatened a boycott.

The announcement was made by NASCAR spokesman David Higdon on Friday (July 3), following concern from sponsors and partners.

A message seeking comment from Trump left by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis, an immigrant from Lebanon, wrote a letter stating that neither he nor Camping World would participate in any events hosted by Trump-owned properties, including NASCAR events.

Lemonis said he has enjoyed a long-running relationship with NASCAR in part because “I believe the vision of our companies both embody family, respect, unity, comradery (sic) and diversity”. The awards were held at Doral a year ago.

Our company will not stand to support any person or organization that associates with such beliefs and we feel strongly about distancing ourselves from any negative and discriminatory comments made against any gender, ethnicity, age group or so forth. “I would hope that the entire NASCAR organization would agree with my sentiments”, Lemonis wrote.

Trump was on “Fox and Friends” Saturday and said he knew he’d be a target, but he felt NASCAR was simpatico with his views on immigration. Higdon said the decision to move the banquet was not requested by NBC, which recently dropped Trump’s beauty pageants from its network.

“We were monitoring it closely and started looking at our own relationship with him and how it may have an impact, and ultimately made the decision it does not make sense to continue that”, Higdon said of Trump.