Can one make a racist remark but not be a racist?

Is it possible for a person to make a racist remark but not be a racist? Say you are out with the fellas some you know well and others you know from work etc. and a few friends of theirs you don’t know. Some of the group openly support the Minutemen and Arizona’s illegal law. While everyone is chopping it up a Hispanic tune comes over the jukebox and one of the newbies says “F*** who ordered up the t*** b****** h** d****** music?” One of the other guys told him it was un-cool because one of the group was a Black of Hispanic origin Porto Rico or Cuba or something. The newbie apologizes and said he really did not mean anything about it, he was just joking. Later he explain to a group of us away from the Hispanic man that he thought because of those in t-shirts supporting the Minutemen that we were anti-Hispanic and said that just to fit in better that he really didn’t have anything against Hispanics. Is that plausible or do you think it was a cover because he got caught dinging Hispanics?