IndyCar responded to the hate and vitriol spewed at certain drivers after Sunday afternoon’s race on the streets of Long Beach.
Sunday afternoon’s IndyCar race on the streets of Long Beach, California was a bright spot for many, including new polesitter and race winner Kyle Kirkwood and the entire Andretti Autosport team, which secured their first 1-2 finish since September 2020.
But unfortunately, the 85-lap race around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile (3.167-kilometer) temporary street circuit brought about the worst among a small percentage of the sport’s fanbase.
IndyCar fans aren’t generally known for getting “ugly” on social media, at least not the extent that a handful of NASCAR and Formula 1 fans are, but that was sadly the case after Sunday afternoon’s race.
IndyCar addressed the online abuse and reiterated that it is unacceptable on every level.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 18, 2023
While the statement indicates that “drivers” were the target of “disrespectful and inappropriate abuse”, the primary target was Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Callum Ilott.
https://twitter.com/callum_ilott/status/1647751009605939200
Specifically, fans of Juncos Hollinger Racing rookie Agustin Canapino attacked and threatened his British teammate, who happened to come out of the pits ahead of him on a restart.
Canapino was leading the race after not pitting during the caution period, and Ilott coming out right ahead of him in an attempt to stay on the lead lap slowed him down and caused somewhat of a chain reaction, particularly at the front of the pack.
The 33-year-old Argentinian driver had never previously led an IndyCar race, but his lead did not last long. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who took advantage of the chaos to pass Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood, took the lead of the race a few seconds later.
So, on that Lap 26 restart:
— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) April 16, 2023
-Canapino leading
-Ilott comes out of the pits & stacks things up
-Canapino gets into Kirkwood, allowing Newgarden to take the lead
-Pato tries to dive on the inside of Turn 8 on Kirkwood & spins into the tires. Ericsson taps Pato from behind.
Upon learning about the death threats directed at his teammate, Canapino quickly made a statement in support of Ilott, denouncing the things that were being said.
✅️ Domingo
— Agustín Canapino 🇦🇷 (@AgustinCanapino) April 16, 2023
Lamentablemente tuvimos que abandonar por una situación de carrera.
Aclarar que @callum_ilott no hizo nada a propósito ni con intención, simplemente se dio así por circunstancias, formamos un buen equipo y yo estoy muy agradecido por eso.
Acá les cuento 👇 pic.twitter.com/TIfDG0lW9M
The 2023 IndyCar season’s fourth race, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, is scheduled to take place at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 30. It is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.