Camping World Truck Series driver Tanner Gray. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

iRacing user made racially-charged comments posing as NASCAR Truck Series driver Tanner Gray

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 8/31/22

NASCAR Truck Series driver Tanner Gray woke up to a storm of reactions on Wednesday after many believed he had been exposed using racially insensitive language while using the iRacing simulation game.

Overnight, a video of an iRacing user with Gray's name and likeness mocking Spanish-speaking drivers during a practice session went viral.

On Wednesday, Gray denied the account was his and claimed he hadn't played the game in over four years.

"I've been made aware of racially insensitive comments made from an account using my likeness during an iRacing practice session that are wrongly attributed to me," Gray said in a statement released via his Twitter account. "I do not have an active membership, and last raced in 2018 using an account under my mother's name."

pic.twitter.com/v8pXLLLUnM
— Tanner Gray (@tannergray5) August 31, 2022

Gray did some detective work to help expose the fraud. He claimed the user activated the account in late July, running almost 200 races through August, which conflicts with several dates on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series calendar.

"I denounce the behavior shown in this video, and I'm actively working with iRacing to get this user flagged and removed from the service," Gray added.

Executive Vice President of iRacing, Steve Myers, later verified that Tanner was not the user in question. Myers added they know who the user is, and they'll no longer be allowed membership in the iRacing community.

I can confirm that we have verified that this account was not Tanner and that we know who it is. They will no longer be members of @iRacing. https://t.co/4KFy2nvfsZ
— Steve Myers (@iRacingMyers) August 31, 2022