NASCAR owner sells vehicles to ICE — and liberals are outraged

Hendrick Motorsports Technical Solutions is under fire for its willingness to engage in commerce with the federal government.

The company, founded by former NASCAR driver Rick Hendrick, is related to Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR's top teams. Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins in Cup Series, the most Cup Series championships at 14, and has consistently ranked among the most valuable teams, including being named most valuable by Forbes in 2020 at $315 million valuation.

'We're not going to support them.'

Originally reported by the Washington Post, Hendrick recently sold more than two dozen vehicles to the Trump administration for use with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Earlier this year, we sold 25 standard Chevrolet Tahoes to the federal government," a Hendrick Companies spokesperson said, per WBTV-TV. "The vehicles were unmodified, and we fulfilled the commercial sale. We do not participate in or control how agencies equip, brand, or use vehicles after purchase."

The federal government paid $2.25 million for the Tahoes from Hendrick in North Carolina and dished out another $174,000 to other companies for custom wrappings, the Post reported.

Due to the lack of an open-bidding process, ICE was required to submit their justification for skipping any competitive bargaining.

"The agency's need for the services is so urgent and compelling that providing full and open competition would result in unacceptable delays and seriously hinder the government’s recruiting initiative," the contract states.

It added, "Urgency is warranted as these vehicles must be deployed to the streets immediately to provide a visible law enforcement presence, support public safety operations, and reinforce recruitment efforts."

The lack of bidding was not the point of focus for anti-ICE activists online. Rather, it was the simple fact that Hendrick was working with the federal agency.

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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 2: Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports (L) and NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsport team owner. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

For example, a man from Georgia said that Hendrick "should be harassed" for being a "damned crook who needed to buy a pardon from Clinton."

He added, "I don't care who ICE buys vehicles from, but I would never put a dime in that crook's pocket."

Another X user seemingly called Hendrick an "Evil f**king man" for supplying ICE with vehicles.

In a video shared online, a woman addressing the people of Charlotte said, "You know how ICE is driving around those new SUVs? You can thank Rick Hendrick at Rick Hendrick Auto ... just remember that the next time you're in the market for a car!"

"We're not going to support them," another woman said about Hendrick Motorsports, using a filter that gave her devil horns. She then promoted a different Ford dealer in North Carolina, touting that the dealership has "Hispanic salesmen" who can speak Spanish.

"Go there, they're amazing! They're not doing all this mess," she declared.

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Host Kim Coon speaks to NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsport team owner, Rick Hendrick. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

A self-professed left-wing NASCAR fan, meanwhile, wrote on X, "i have very low expectations of people in nascar, but rick hendrick selling vehicles to f**king ICE is probably a new low."

A senior official from the Department of Homeland Security told the Post last week that "ICE is a law enforcement agency, and like all other law enforcement agencies, has a fleet of vehicles that includes those with ICE branding."

The official's statement continued, "Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE finally has the resources to grow its workforce to support ICE's mission, and that will include all types of additional vehicles."

"These specific vehicles will supplement the existing ICE fleet and support operations across the country," the DHS statement concluded.

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