NASCAR driver, Navy veteran attacked on social media
By Asher Fair
Following the announcement of his new role, NASCAR driver and team owner Jesse Iwuji was attacked on social media because of the color of his skin.
Jesse Iwuji serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. He also competes part-time in NASCAR, doing so in both the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series.
Last week, he announced that he had partnered with NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith to form a full-time Xfinity Series team for the 2022 season: Jesse Iwuji Motorsports.
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Unfortunately, some were not fans of this news, and for no other reason than the fact that Iwuji happens to be a black man.
The 34-year-old Carrollton, Texas native shared a racist message he received after this news was announced.
It read:
"“Stop trying to make everything black. It’s not our fault that you guys are the minority and that the whites were in this great country first. Go back to your shitty ass country.”"
Not only does Iwuji hail from the United States’ own state of Texas, but he has also served his “shitty ass country” honorably for the last decade-plus.
Separated by two pictures was another message that read:
"“The only black NASCAR driver in this board is Bubba Wallace and his is shit. That should tell you black people ain’t good at NASCAR.”"
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We are going to assume that “this board” means “this sport” and “his” means “he”. But who knows what goes through this individual’s head. He could be praising Bubba Wallace as the greatest driver of all-time for all we know.
Iwuji posted the following message on Twitter in response to the blatant racism, reminding fans that while the sport’s fanbase has certainly changed for the better, these kinds of people who see nothing more than skin color still exist, even if rare.
I don’t get racist messages like this one I received last night often, but they do happen. When they come, it’s just another annual reminder really to all of us that we as people need to continue to bring positivity to the world around us. It’s the only way to bring good change. pic.twitter.com/v7Jl9TXGsj
— Jesse Iwuji (@Jesse_Iwuji) August 24, 2021
Unfortunately, while Iwuji called it an “annual” reminder, it does happen far more than just once per year.
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Bill Lester was booed at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March when he made his first NASCAR start since 2007, prompting Wallace to make the claim that some fans believe that all black people look alike. He noted that he wasn’t all that surprised by the reaction to Lester’s appearance.