O’Ward, is very popular in the IndyCar Series. He talked about his feelings after seeing his teammate, Theo Pourchaire, face social media abuse and death threats. This happened after Pourchaire was in a collision with Agustin Canapino from Juncos Hollinger Racing in last weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix.
At first, Arrow McLaren and JHR put out a statement condemning the online abuse. But a few hours later, Canapino started liking posts from his fans that made fun of Pourchaire. One of these posts, which he later unliked, came before Canapino made his own statement saying his supporters didn’t threaten rivals.
This caused Arrow McLaren and JHR to end their partnership early on Thursday. JHR also said Canapino would take a break between the autograph session and the start of practice on Friday at Road America. Nolan Siegel will replace him in JHR’s No. 78 Chevrolet this weekend.
Before learning about Canapino stepping out, O’Ward shared his thoughts on the situation.
“It’s not my place to defend them,” O’Ward said. “If your fans are threatening someone else, it shouldn’t be defended. That’s just not right. Who thinks it’s okay to threaten someone? Never.
“I’m not responsible for what my fans do, but it doesn’t mean I’ll support what they say about someone else. Things happen, but it’s not okay.”
O’Ward talked about the situation between Canapino and Pourchaire. They were racing in the rain on a tight street circuit, and accidents are bound to happen in racing.
“Accidents are going to happen,” O’Ward said. “That’s why we have fans. If racing was predictable, it wouldn’t be fun.”
O’Ward also said it’s not his job to teach fans how to react in intense situations like Pourchaire faced.
“I’m a racing driver, not a teacher,” O’Ward said. “People need to understand that accidents happen in racing. If you can’t handle it, maybe this isn’t the sport for you.”
Even though Canapino’s fans get upset about any incident involving him, O’Ward doesn’t plan to race him any differently.
“I treat everyone the same,” O’Ward said. “People have different opinions, but some take it too far. It’s not fair to us or our community.”
