Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick took to Instagram Friday to respond to aggrieved social media users who were unhappy with a photograph of herself at a Turning Point USA conference last month.
“Y’all are losing your damn minds over my Turning Point post,” Patrick wrote on her Instagram story, according to Outkick reporter David Hookstead. “Here is where I stand with some current issues and politics.”
“I am not a liberal,” the former race car driver continued. “I am somewhere between Republican and independent. I think our country should be run by someone who knows business and has integrity. I believe we should be able to speak freely.”
Patrick faced backlash from commenters on the Instagram post from Dec. 21.
“Unfollowing you now,” one Instagram user commented.
“Had no idea you were MAGA,” another commenter wrote. “Glad you posted this so I know to unfollow and stop supporting anything you’re associated with.”
“Lost my support. I kinda liked you ’til now, what a joke,” another social media user wrote.
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Patrick complained about there being “so much propaganda that penetrates mainstream media,” emphasizing her love for the United States, according to Outkick. She said it is “bullshit that Democrats can be proud but a Republican can’t in society.” (RELATED: Danica Patrick Rocks Out Sun’s Out Buns Out Trend At The Beach)
“I believe when people of different opinions speak face to face we realize we are more similar than different,” Patrick said. “I don’t believe everything anyone says.”
Patrick competed in 191 Cup Series races from 2012 to 2018, according to the NASCAR Hall of Fame website. She posted seven top-10 finishes and was the first female driver to win a pole in a Cup Series race when she qualified No. 1 for the Daytona 500, the biggest race in a NASCAR season.