NASCAR won’t hold end-of-season banquets at Trump properties
The 2014 Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series banquets were held at Donald Trump’s Doral resort in Miami. The banquets will be at a different location in 2015.
Following controversial comments by the business mogul and (again) presidential candidate, a NASCAR spokesperson said Friday that the sport would look for a different spot for the banquets.
Via Alan Cavanna’s Facebook page.
“Everything weighs in. We started talking about this early in the week. Given all the attention brought to this matter and how it impacts our partners, sponsors, our teams and our drivers and certainly ourselves, it ultimately was a decision made today that we will not being going back there.”
The media event before the final race of the 2014 Chase was also at the Trump National Doral.
Trump’s comments in his presidential campaign publicity blitz about immigrants from Mexico have hurt his businesses. NBC has dropped his Miss Universe pageant and Macy’s has also pulled his clothing line from its shelves.
“When Mexico sends its people they aren’t sending their best,” Trump said at his June presidential event, “They are bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they are rapists and some are good people but I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting.”
He has continued the sentiments in recent interviews.
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, called Trump’s characterizations “disgusting and offensive.”
Marcus Lemonis, the CEO of Camping World, the title sponsor of NASCAR’s third-tier series, said Friday in a public letter to NASCAR and chairman Brian France that he would not be attending any NASCAR events at any of Trump’s properties.
Last year, our NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards Ceremony was held at the Trump National Doral in Miami, and due to recent and ongoing blatantly bigoted and racist comments from Donald Trump in regards to immigrants of the United States, I would like to inform you that I will not, nor will any representative of Camping World, participate or attend in the ceremonial event if it is held at any Trump property. 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.
Trump has polled as high as second in some Republican presidential polls. Is his momentum sustainable? Given the business backlash, we’re betting heavily it’s not.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
