ARCA Star’s Controversial AI Claim Riles Up NASCAR Fans as They Ruthlessly Bash “Pretty Basic A** Scheme”

AI’s ingress in the world has certainly changed the lives of many people. While many have been rendered jobless, losing out to the advanced technology of Artificial Intelligence, the sophistication of this new technique has also intrigued a number of factions. Even in the world of racing, AI’s arrival has created a new dawn, with teams using the same to render their unveils instead of relying on a graphic designer or requiring human intervention. In this case, Greg Van Alst’s new reveal is the new talk of the town, with fans taking it to their close circle to analyze the situation. The AI-derived “controversial” theme has yet again ruffled the feathers as fans denounce the livery unapologetically.

“Oh this poor man is about to be obliterated,” wrote one fan who knew what was about to go down, understanding the consequences as the ARCA driver shared the new looks of his #35 Ford. Greg Van Alst Motorsports is a small-time team in the ARCA circle that has been on the scene for the past five years, competing in over 40 races. 

Piloted by the owner himself, Greg Van Alst has racked up 20 top 10s and a win after making his debut in 2002. With his debut season going awry, the driver took a long break from the series only to return in 2021. He racked up three top 10 finishes that year and won his first race in the promotion two years later in 2023 at Daytona.

Now, Van Alst shared a post on his new #35 Ford’s new look that was derived using AI. While the driver/owner himself knew that this was going to rile up fans, sparking a controversy, he argued that for smaller teams like his, there was no other option but to make use of the technology instead of hiring an individual for the same.

“ Generic af” – Redditers trash the Van Alst’s post mercilessly

While the driver briefed about the reason he chose to go for an AI-generated rendering, fans weren’t having any of it. The post captioned, “I know this can be controversial but it helps a team like ours. From AI to rendering, to race track,” did not receive much appreciation from the community as they saw things from a different lens, renouncing the driver’s use of AI, deeming that it stole jobs instead, destroying the livelihoods of designers.

Reacting to the red and white theme, one designer commented, “‪I still hate it, as somebody who is trying to start my career and who would kill to get a scheme on track this annoys me. I would’ve gladly designed a scheme for free. But there goes AI stealing more jobs,” while another fan mentioned, “it’s also a pretty basic a** scheme to be honest.”

Whereas another user noticed something else, subtly relaying his displeasure with the usage of AI, “Looks like the team forgot to include the red LEDs in the front lower grill. The AI is not going to be happy about that.” 

What do you think? Does AI really render artists and designers jobless, or is it just the transition phase, the slow buffering period as technology shifts into a new age?

READ MORE: Noah Gragson Continues to Establish himself as Stewart Haas Racing Finally Finds its Footing