INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Wienermobiles are coming back for a bite at the Brickyard in May, giving them another chance to relish the spotlight of racing's biggest weekend.
Oscar Mayer announced Sunday all six of its famed street-ready vehicles will compete for the second straight year on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's historic 2.5-mile oval. The Wienie 500 is scheduled for May 22 during the track's annual Carburation Day festivities.
Last year's race was such a hit, organizers wanted to give fans a second round to savor the flavor of a light-hearted competition just two days before IndyCar's marquis race — the Indianapolis 500.
The presentation will have a familiar look for fans who watched last year's inaugural race.
Each Wienermobile will feature toppings representing an American regional favorite while carrying carry custom decals. Drivers will don Hotdogger racing suits while the iconic “Wiener Song” plays and the champ drives into “wieners circle.”
Slaw Dog, which represents the Southeast, will try to prove it is beefy enough to defend last year's crown. Four other regional favorites also are expected to return — Chi Dog (Midwest), New York Dog (East), Chili Dog (South) and Seattle Dog (Northwest).
But the Sonoran Dog may be replaced after failing to cut the mustard in 2025.
Fans can choose the final entrant from a menu of seven possibilities, including the Sonoran Dog, by visiting Instagram in the first “Pick Your Dog” Wienie 500 bracket. Updates will be provided on the Instagram account or on TikTok.
“The response to the first Wienie 500 was overwhelming, and we heard the fans loud and clear that they were hungry for more,” Kelsey Rice, Oscar Mayer brand communications director said in a statement. “This year, we’re supercharging the experience, delivering an even bigger, bolder and more unforgettable event that puts the fans at the forefront. With amplified engagement, intensified rivalries and more surprises in store, we’re giving the people what they want — an unparalleled live experience that will leave them craving more.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles head into the first turn as they compete in the Wienie 500 following the practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester by a federal immigration officer touched off a fierce national debate and prompted some fellow Republicans to question President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration crackdown, but the president on Sunday night continued to blame Democratic officials.
After remaining relatively quiet on Sunday, the Republican president in two lengthy social media posts said that Democrats had encouraged people to obstruct law enforcement operations. He also called on officials in Minnesota to work with immigration officers and "turn over" people who were in the U.S. illegally.
“Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media network.
Trump's refusal to back away from his pledge to carry out the largest deportation program in history and the surge of immigration officers to heavily Democratic cities came as more Republicans began calling for a deeper investigation and expressing unease with some of the administration's tactics.
The White House did not answer questions about whether Trump watched the videos of the shooting in Minnesota, which seemed to contradict the account of what happened by members of his administration, or whether he planned to speak to Minnesota's Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who had appealed to the president to help bring calm to the city.
Instead, Trump on Sunday night said he would call on Congress to pass legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities. His administration has sought to apply the label to communities based on their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, among other factors.
His push for action by lawmakers comes even as outrage over the shooting has raised the possibility of a partial government shutdown in a week because of a standoff over additional funding for immigration enforcement.
Trump's initial reaction to the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti came hours after it took place on Saturday. In a post on his Truth Social network, he questioned why Pretti had a firearm and accused Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting "Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.”
But throughout the weekend, Trump, who rarely lets a major moment go without comment, did not make any public appearances or express any dismay over Pretti's death.
Instead, he posted online complaining about Canada and efforts to stop him from building an expansive ballroom at the White House, calling a lawsuit to block its construction “devastating to the White House, our Country, and all concerned.”
He also posted messages praising U.K. troops after his comments about them earlier in the week were widely interpreted as a grave insult and praising guests appearing on Fox News Channel.
When he finally weighed in again Sunday night as criticism grew, Trump was unbowed.
He called on Walz and Frey, also a Democrat, to turn over for deportation anyone in the country illegally who was held in state prisons or local jails, along with anyone who has a warrant out for their arrest or a criminal history.
Members of his administration, meanwhile, were quick to say the shooting, the second killing of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by immigration officers in recent weeks, was a case of an armed man provoking violence.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a post on social media, without offering any evidence, that Pretti was “an assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.”
Vice President JD Vance shared Miller's post. He issued other ones blaming local officials and describing what was happening in Minneapolis as “engineered chaos” that was “the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.”
President Donald Trump, left, is greeted by Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, right, after walking down the stairs of Air Force One, upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, after returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
