Trump slams the brakes on Indy 500

Bet you thought we forgot about Donald Trump with all the news of this week (and for the most part, we have). But we thought you'd like to know Trump has bailed out of his scheduled appearance as the Pace Car driver at this year's Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. In a statement, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway says Trump informed them "that he may be announcing shortly his intention to run for the office of President of the United States, and therefore he thought it would be inappropriate to drive the Pace Car for the 100th anniversary running" (Reminder to Last Word fans: Lawrence calls Trump's presidential campaign "fake"). What ISN'T mentioned in the press release is the growing protests over Trump's planned appearance. The Associated Press reports "some race fans complained Trump was too divisive to serve as the celebrity pace car driver after his recent questioning of whether President Obama was born outside the United States and whether he was qualified to attend two Ivy League schools. Those questions led to a growing movement to replace the real estate mogul a month after he was chosen. State Rep. Jeb Bardon, a Democrat who represents the area around the historic 2.5-mile oval, kicked off the push last week with a floor speech in the Indiana Legislature. Local attorney Michael Wallack took the next step by starting a Facebook page that grew to more 17,000 followers since April 27."