Liberals Weren’t Happy After Riley Gaines Prayed For Donald Trump During NASCAR Cup Series Pre-Race Invocation At COTA

Gonna guess most NASCAR fans didn’t have a problem with it…

NASCAR was in Austin, Texas this past weekend for the first road course race of the 2025 season at the Circuit of the Americas. It was actually a pretty good race, especially considering how bad some of the road course races have been the past couple of years since the introduction of the Gen 7 car.

Ahead of the Cup Series race, NASCAR invited former collegiate swimmer and outspoken women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines to deliver the pre-race invocation. Gaines has become a popular conservative media figure since speaking out against the NCAA for allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports, a position that’s no doubt popular with NASCAR fans (and most people with common sense, but that’s beside the point).

Gaines delivered a beautiful invocation, during which she prayed for wisdom for President Donald Trump:

“Heavenly father, bless President Donald J. Trump, his cabinet and all of our leaders, that they may seek your guidance in all decisions. If this is done we will never be wrong and America will be made right again.”

“Dear Heavenly Father, we gather today with gratitude for your mercy, that we do not deserve, and for the sacrifice of your Son that was sent to earth to conquer death, Hell & the grave.”
– Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) pre-race prayer at NASCAR’s Circuit of the Americas pic.twitter.com/i5A8Fvvg8u

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) March 2, 2025

Seems pretty reasonable, right? Praying for our country’s leaders?

Well of course people on the internet were upset, because that’s just the time we live in.

Many weren’t happy that Gaines mentioned Donald Trump during her invocation:

I realize that @NASCAR could care less what I think, but I’ve been a fan for almost 60 yrs. It’s bad enough that Trump was welcomed with open arms. But, to allow Riley Gaines to do that political stunt during the opening prayer, is sickening.

— Beverly Levay (@BeverlyLevay) March 2, 2025

and fuck nascar for letting her do that

— vic for short (@shoetranze) March 2, 2025

bet the “no politics in sports” crowd is going to be real quiet right now about riley gaines pro trump prayer

how about this, keep your fucking conservative politics out of my religion

— kaylie ✪ (@kaylie_m_v) March 2, 2025

Why is Riley Gaines doing the invocation and making it a Trump thing lol #nascar

— np. (@x561FLA) March 2, 2025

of course riley gaines shouted out trump in the pre-race prayer lmao fucking prick

— B.J McLeod's Strongest Solider (@LiveFastSimp) March 2, 2025

Bill Elliott ain’t tryna hear this stupid bitch suck off Trump during a prayer. Fuck you Riley Gaines. @NASCAR

— Cale (@OfficialCaleM) March 2, 2025

What the actual fuck with Riley Gaines and “God Bless Donald Trump”?????????

— May (@may_aldape) March 2, 2025

@Riley_Gaines_ honoring Trump in your prayer is the fucking stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Congrats on the grifting. Happy it’s taken you this far

— Darrell Brett Hunter Shea (@brettshearuns) March 2, 2025

Funny how the “keep politics out of sports” people seem to not give a shit when Riley Gaines asks god to “Bless President Donald J Trump” during the pre race convocation.

Religion and politics can be present in sports, so long as it’s THEIR religion and politics. #NASCAR

— Save Juuse Saros (@FilOfScoresberg) March 2, 2025

And others were upset that NASCAR had invited Gaines to deliver the invocation in the first place:

Hey @NASCAR….. you do realize that your sport is not an excuse for each week to be a Trump Rally? At this point you might as well let them bring confederate flags back if you're going to let @Riley_Gaines_ give a "prayer" like that before #COTA.

— BlackNASCARFans (@Black_NASCAR) March 2, 2025

If Riley Gaines is who NASCAR wants after not listening to fans on anything or the backlash from the Trump visit then fuck them. I'm not supporting a sport that wants to bring new fans in…..but brings in hateful people that state the opposite.

The fuck? https://t.co/uWoWoyLixy pic.twitter.com/L0SkhcSUHX

— Nathan Platt (@nathanplatt) March 2, 2025

@NASCAR LOL having riley gaines at your event period let alone spewing her propagandic prayer is pretty disgusting

— Matt Rowe (@collectsdecks) March 2, 2025

it would be really fucking nice if i could enjoy the sport that i’ve spent most of my life watching without being reminded of the people who think i don’t deserve rights. trump was kinda understandable, as much as i hate him, he is the president, but riley gaines is indefensible.

— jordan (@notbubbawallace) March 2, 2025

Why is @NASCAR giving an asshole like Riley Gaines a platform?!?

— GetawayCarTVWhen? (@getawaycar23Xi) March 2, 2025

Fuck @Riley_Gaines_ and Fuck @NASCAR for this dystopian bullshit.

— Christopher Orris (@chrisorris24) March 2, 2025

Having Riley Gaines associated anywhere with your sport is mortally embarrassing

— Nick (@NickZararis) March 2, 2025

NASCAR will never beat the shitty people allegations when they keep inviting clowns like Riley Gaines to the track.

— Kyle Riley (@WheedMBoise) March 2, 2025

keep politics out of sports unless they are right wing politics, then they’re apart of the pre race show!

— mark sebetka (@mark_sebetka) March 2, 2025

Fuck Riley Gaines. #NASCAR

— LucasLee (@LucasLeeTweets) March 2, 2025

Riley Gaines is a stupid worthless bitch

congratulations nascar for bringing in a woman who's only famous for being a transphobic and homophobic loser sack of shit pic.twitter.com/Ikw3TFVhhz

— 𐌌𐌉𐌂𐋅𐌀𐌄𐌋 (@tydillonfan) March 2, 2025

Of course the crowd roared when Gaines mentioned Trump, so it doesn’t seem like they were too upset that she dared…pray for our president during the invocation.

And Trump has been a supporter of NASCAR himself, appearing at the seasoning-opening Daytona 500 last month after first attending the Great American Race back in 2020.

After engines fired during the Daytona 500 and the cars hit the track, they were led by a special pace car: The presidential limousine, “the Beast,” hit the track to lead the pace laps as President Trump delivered a special message to the drivers:

“This is your favorite president. I am a big fan, I am really big fan of you people. How you do this I don’t know, but I just want you to be safe. You’re talented people, and you’re great people and great Americans. Have a good day, have a lot of fun, and I’ll see you later.”

President @realDonaldTrump addresses the drivers before the 2025 Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/DP9hXWjDpm

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 16, 2025

Along with NASCAR legend Richard Petty, team owner Richard Childress also endorsed President Trump during the 2024 election, and even introduced the then-candidate during a rally in his home state of North Carolina:

NASCAR legend Richard Childress introduces Trump at #MAGA rally in Charlotte North Carolina pic.twitter.com/EB0ixqMFWw

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) July 25, 2024

Seems like those who are upset about Gaines appearing at the race, and mentioning Trump during her invocation, are probably in the extreme minority. And regardless of how you feel about Trump, shouldn’t we be praying for our elected officials to make the right decisions for our country? I’m not sure how that’s political anyway.

But like everything that involves Trump, some people are just broken beyond repair at this point.