IndyCar’s ‘One Nation, One Race’ controversy is no surprise amid its rightward drift

The series quickly withdrew a shirt that stirred up a strong backlash. But IndyCar has been playing with fire for a while

This could be the summer of IndyCar.

Formula One fatigue is beginning to set in, both globally and among the American audiences who helped fuel the sport’s recent boom. Nascar, for all its national reach in the US and lingering cultural import, remains a largely regional attraction. IndyCar, on the other hand, boasts a wealth of personalities, is anchored in real structural parity and delivers wheel-to-wheel action time and again. But as the buildup begins for the 110th running of this year’s Indianapolis 500 – still the sport’s commercial, spiritual centerpiece and Memorial Day weekend staple – IndyCar is at risk of tripping over itself in its rush to return to prominence.