NASCAR has fined driver Nelson Piquet Jr. $10,000 following comments on Instagram.
Fellow Nationwide Series driver Parker Kligerman took a selfie following a workout which Piquet chose to comment with a three-letter slur.
Piquet tried to explain the issue as teasing between friends.
“Don’t act like if u have never called your friends names,” Piquet said in a now-deleted tweet. “Were (sic) not living in the 50s anymore bud.. jokes are jokes.”
“I sincerely apologize to everyone for my poor choice of words last week. I did not mean to hurt or offend anyone. This has been a cultural learning experience that will make me a more sensitive person moving forward.” said Piquet in a statement.
Earlier this season Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements was suspended for two races following a racial slur at Daytona.
“Nelson Piquet Jr. recently communicated an offensive and derogatory term that cannot be tolerated in our sport,” NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. “NASCAR’s Code of Conduct explicitly spells out in the 2013 rule book our position regarding the use of disparaging terms. We expect our entire industry to abide by this code.”
