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Trump gives up Indy 500 pace car

Real estate magnate and billionaire Donald Trump and his wife Melania pose for photographers on the red carpet, arriving for the annual White House Correspondent's Association dinner, April 30, 2011, in Washington,D.C. President Obama will attend the dinner, which combines the administration's top officials, Capitol Hill politicians and Hollywood glitz and glamour. UPI/Mike Theiler
Real estate magnate and billionaire Donald Trump and his wife Melania pose for photographers on the red carpet, arriving for the annual White House Correspondent's Association dinner, April 30, 2011, in Washington,D.C. President Obama will attend the dinner, which combines the administration's top officials, Capitol Hill politicians and Hollywood glitz and glamour. UPI/Mike Theiler | License Photo

INDIANAPOLIS, May 5 (UPI) -- Billionaire Donald Trump said Thursday it is "impossible to fulfill" his duties as pace car driver of this year's Indianapolis 500 auto race.

Hours after a Trump spokesman told The Indianapolis Star the developer and potential presidential hopeful would not give up the honor of driving the pace car for the race's 100th anniversary, Trump issued a statement saying continuing with the event would be too disruptive to his plans.

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"I very much appreciate the honor, but time and business constraints make my appearance there, especially with the necessary practice sessions, impossible to fulfill," he said. "I look forward to watching the race from New York."

Trump's announcement comes less than a month after critics of his statements on public policy issues started a Facebook page urging race officials to keep him out of the pace car. Michael Wallack, an Indianapolis lawyer, said he created the "Dump Trump" page April 8 expecting to attract little notice, the Star said.

Trump has come under fire for questioning the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate and for suggesting Obama was an indifferent student. The controversy has brought thousands of people to the "Dump Trump" page, the newspaper said.

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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced April 5 Trump would be the pace car driver. At the time, Trump's presidential aspirations were a bit more muted than they eventually became.

IMS officials did not immediately announce who would replace Trump for the May 29 race.

Trump spokesman Michael Cohen, who said Thursday the star of NBC's "The Apprentice" would not give up the pace car honor, called criticism of Trump politically motivated and unfair.

"This debate stems from unfounded, incorrect and malicious lies that Donald Trump has a racial bias toward the president," Cohen said. "Nothing could be further from the truth; Donald Trump doesn't have a racist bone in his body."

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