Rick Hendrick came under fire recently after reports emerged that he had inked a $2.25 million contract in August to supply 25 Chevrolet Tahoes to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on an urgent basis. Fans were upset with this move, not due to some personal wrongdoing of Mr. Hendrick, but because of what ICE does.
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The department has been criticized for its deportation operations, immigration-related raids, and accusations of racial profiling. Critics argue that Mr. Hendrick, through the Hendrick Automotive Group, has indirectly enabled such acts in the Charlotte region. Furthermore, the fact that the entire deal was a no-bid contract adds fuel to the fire.
Amidst this frenzy, Mr. Hendrick has found a friend in Kenny Wallace. The former driver came out on his YouTube channel and posted a video supporting the benefactor.
Wallace said, “I would say this. If you’re a business… My brother Rusty Wallace owns 10 dealerships. 10. So Rusty’s sitting there owning 10 dealerships, and the government comes in and says, ‘Hey, we need to buy two and a half million dollars’ worth of pickup trucks.’ What are you going to do? You’re going to go, ‘No, I don’t want to do that cuz it might stir some up. Or is this business?”
Wallace firmly believes that going about your business and making money is the American way of life, and underlined that nobody ought to have to apologize for going about it. For its part, the Hendrick Automotive Group released a statement clarifying that it just supplies the vehicles and isn’t related to how they are modified or in what context they are used post-sale.
The story has gained major traction because ICE began border patrol and enforcement in the Charlotte area only recently. It is unclear whether the trucks received from the Hendrick garage have already been put to use. Notably, the Hendrick Automotive Group had to be the supplier mainly because of its ability to quickly deliver the trucks.
A statement from the group read, “The agency’s need for the services is so urgent and compelling that providing full and open competition would result in unacceptable delays and seriously hinder the Government’s recruiting initiative.”
“Urgency is warranted as these vehicles must be deployed to the streets immediately to provide a visible law enforcement presence, support public safety operations, and reinforce recruitment efforts.”
