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Paint schemes go political as NASCAR season heats up

FILE - In this June 10, 2020, file photo, driver Bubba Wallace waits for the start of a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Martinsville, Va. Bubba Wallace now counts Spike Lee and Demi Lovato – his admitted celebrity crush – as those loudly in his corner since he’s become the leader of NASCAR’s push for change. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Corey LaJoie came to Indianapolis with a new primary sponsor and a freshly painted car. It’s likely to drive the conversation inside and outside of Gasoline Alley all weekend.

The sleek red, white and blue No. 32 Ford will carry the banner Trump 2020 on LaJoie’s hood for the next nine races — a move that comes at a time of an intensifying political debate that is now moving to NASCAR events.

In recent weeks, cars in the Cup and Xfinity Series have increasingly carried messages such as Black Lives Matter and Back The Blue.