A Japanese Driver Winning the Indy 500 on Memorial Day Weekend Made One Journalist ‘Uncomfortable’

**UPDATE**: It has since become known that the sports writer referenced in this article, Terry Frei, has been fired by the Denver Post.

Sports writer Terry Frei of the Denver Post may have thought he was boosting for the U.S.A. when he wrote a Tweet saying he was “uncomfortable” that a Japanese driver won the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend, but he soon found that few if anyone agreed with him when Twitter lashed back.

Once the race ended and it was reported that Japan-born Takuma Sato had taken the win, Frei jumped to his Twitter account to voice his displeasure at the idea of a Japanese person wining the All American race less than 24 hours before the day we memorialize our fallen soldiers.

“Nothing specifically personal, but I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend,” Frei Tweeted on May 28.

Perhaps in response to the pushback he was already getting, Frei added a second Tweet saying, “THIS is what Memorial Day is about. Dave Schreiner’s death in Battle of Okinawa. Not for squeamish or ‘sensitive.”

Frei’s attempt at history didn’t strike many as particularly relevant.

Are you saying Takuma Sato killed Dave Schreiner in the Battle of Okinawa, and then won the Indy 500 on Memorial Day to mock him?

— Kneel Breem (@Ganbare__Ginkun) May 28, 2017

Your right. Much would of rather seen a italian, British, or southern guy win it as opposed to someone the US has fought a war aganst

— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) May 28, 2017

But, clearly the Denver sportsman felt queasy that the winning driver was a man who hails from a country America fought in World War II. But, not many agreed with him on Twitter. In fact, Frei was hit with such a wave of rejection that he soon deleted both the offending tweets.

Of course, regardless of who did what in World War II, the truth is the Indianapolis 500 has always been an international affair. Not only has the race been a destination event for drivers from all over the world, but the world’s car manufacturers have always vied for the honor of being the top machine.

Even the 2017 Festival Princess was Carmel High School’s Shivani Bajpai, an Indian-American from Zionsville, Indiana.

But if it makes Mr. Frei feel any better, the winning driver was driving for Ruoff Home Mortgage based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.That’s pretty American, right?

In any case, Twitter slapped back hard at the sportswriter’s tweet.

Why would you say this out loud? https://t.co/jZbceHmZ1L

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) May 28, 2017

& Memorial Day. 442d reg combat team is most decorated unit in US mil history & all4500 members were 2nd gen Americans of Japanese ancestry

— megan YELI MVP brown (@thatgirlondeck) May 28, 2017

https://twitter.com/scholarensnared/status/868957451596574721

#Indy500 winner Takuma Sato getting the traditional kiss from Indy 500 Festival Princess Shivani Bajpai. pic.twitter.com/6y7l3U0dEh

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 28, 2017

In the end, Frei’s own employer had to do a bit of damage control, as well.

The Denver Post's statement on Terry Frei: pic.twitter.com/0YAmYawW7q

— The Denver Post (@denverpost) May 29, 2017

Suffice to say, the Posts’s sportswriter didn’t have the best Memorial Day weekend.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.