Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty
NASCAR will require driver Denny Hamlin to complete a sensitivity training course after he tweeted an anti-Asian meme in reference to a fellow driver.
Hamlin, who drives a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, deleted the post shortly after tweeting it, calling the meme a “poor choice.”
“It was a poor choice of memes and I saw how it was offensive,” he added. “It came across totally wrong. I apologize.”
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On Tuesday, reporterBob Pockrassposted a statement from Toyota that said the carmaker spoke with Hamlin and supported NASCAR’s response to the tweet.
“We have spoken with Denny Hamlin regarding his tweet from yesterday. Toyota supports NASCAR’s decision to mandate sensitivity training for Denny and we will all move forward together,” they said.
The since-deleted clip Hamlin posted spliced theFamily Guyscene that referenced a stereotype about Asian drivers with footage of Larson causing a wreck at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday.
According toESPN, Larson tried to move up the pack during the final lap of the race through an aggressive move that ultimately caused 3XI driver Kurt Busch to crash.
Larson, too, has previously undergone sensitivity training following a 2020 incident where he was recordedusing the N-wordduring a virtual race.
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He reflectedon the experience in a lengthy lettersix months later.
“Since April, I’ve done a lot of reflecting. I realized how little I really knew about the African American experience in this country and racism in general. Educating myself is something I should’ve done a long time ago, because it would’ve made me a better person – the kind of person who doesn’t casually throw around an awful, racist word,” he explained at the time.
“The kind who makes an effort to understand the hate and oppression it symbolizes and the depth of pain it has caused Black people throughout history and still to this day,” Larson added. “It was past time for me to shut up, listen and learn.”
source: people.com
