Racing into the spotlight, an Illinois state trooper pulled over racecar driver Tony Stewart and tweeted out a photograph of the two in DeKalb where he stopped Stewart.
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After sending out the tweet, Trooper Damein Cunningham caught the attention of fans on twitter as well as the Illinois State Police. The photo appears to be a selfie taken by Stewart with Cunningham smiling in the background.
“Just pulled over NASCAR LEGEND Tony Stewart on I-88 in DeKalb, IL,” Cunningham’s tweet reads in part. “What you think I got him for?#NASCAR #ISP”
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The obvious and comical answer here would be speeding, but Cunningham originally pulled over Stewart for improper lane usage and was let go with a warning. While twitter users may find the tweet meaningless, Cunningham’s bosses did not and the Illinois State Police were reviewing the post before it was removed, according to CBS. They have yet to reveal if Cunningham will face disciplinary action for using social media on a traffic stop.
Other reactions include that of the some of the Twitter users who criticized Stewart for a crash that killed fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. during a non-NASCAR sprint race in 2014.
The photo prompted controversial conversation and, with the State Police investigating, it was promptly removed from Twitter but, with the internet being what it is, it can still be easily located.