Drivers hitting campaign trail to get All-Star votes

Like the politicians on Capitol Hill, some NASCAR drivers will do anything for a vote.

Pander, bribe, beg, promise or plead -- a handful of Sprint Cup drivers are putting on their best attempts at campaigning for the illustrious Fan Vote, a nod that will guarantee them a spot in Saturday night's All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The field for the event is set by drivers who have either won a Cup race in 2007 or 2008, will finish in the top-two of the Sprint Showdown or won the All-Star Race from the previous 10 years or a Cup championship in the past 10 years.

Last but not least, one driver can win over the hearts and minds of the NASCAR fandom with his charm and personality err whatever tricks he may have up his sleeve.

Acquire the right endorsement and the Fan Vote might be a lock.

Every White House contender clamors for influential endorsements, so why can't drivers?

Apparently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has no issue and set a precedent recently when he told his faithful following, Junior Nation, to vote for fellow Cup driver Elliott Sadler.

One could argue that move could be as powerful as when Oprah Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama last fall. I mean, she has the kind of power that could convince millions of Americans mullets are cool again if she dubs them among her "favorite things."

So Oprah is to Barack what Dale Earnhardt Jr. is to Sadler: A golden ticket!

But endorsements aren't votes, as Howard Dean clearly learned in 2004. Al Gore's endorsement was the "convenient truth."

Anyhow, some of the drivers' campaigns are low-budget, a simple posting on the driver's fan site saying "vote for me," while others are getting gimmicky with it and even making wagers that are, by law, illegal to carry out.

Driver-elect Patrick Carpentier was quoted recently as saying if the fans vote him in he'll run naked down pit road!

My eyes! My eyes! Families, you've been forewarned.

Here's hoping the former open-wheel racer doesn't have a campaign strategist or a Karl Rove-type working on his team.

Fan Vote candidate Reed Sorenson, thankfully, has managed to keep his campaign PG. Taking a play from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Sorenson has the kids in his corner. But it's not as wholesome as one might think. His voters are being bribed.

"The kids have an incentive," Sorenson said, whose campaign coffers are being funded by his Target sponsor. "They don't have homework next week if I get voted in. That's got them pretty excited."

Stork Elementary School in California has a sixth grade class full of young and able fingers prone to sending text messages endorsing Sorenson. To show his gratitude, the No. 41 driver is sending the sixth graders gift baskets from Target filled with school supplies.

So far, the No. 41 team believes there's no reasonable expectation the kids won't demand major political paybacks -- free tires, gas, race tickets -- should Sorenson be elected.

Meanwhile, the students are working up campaign slogans and voting for Sorenson at NASCAR.COM during their computer lab time or voting via phone by texting "NASCAR" to 7777 on their Sprint or Nextel phones.

All-Star Race

SPEED will again broadcast the Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race. Tune in at 7 p.m. ET on May 17 to watch rivals race for $1 million -- and the fireworks!

• All-Star coverage

Trevor Perry is working on the proper way to plug his candidate and bolster Sorenson's name recognition among voters.

"I like to watch him spin around in circles," Perry said. "I'd recognize that Target car anywhere."

Sorenson said the sixth grade support is pivotal, but like most of the candidates working the trail, he hopes to be able to race his way in during the Showdown.

Cup driver and owner Robby Gordon agrees.

"But at the end of the day, we are in the business of promotion. I like to tell people that we're a marketing company that races cars," said Gordon, who forewent fish fries and spaghetti dinners for savvy advertising ... on the side of his Cup car! The driver ran the No. 7 Jim Beam "Vote for Robby" Dodge at Darlington Raceway last weekend.

Is it working? Voter polls are so subjective. The tween vote, not the swing vote, may clinch this one.

"I'd rather race my way in but if I have to take a fan vote then so be it," said Kasey Kahne, who was in the All-Star Race last year but sits outside this season. "And really this weekend is about the fans and allowing them to take part in the event."

As for A.J. Allmendinger's campaign efforts, they have gone straight to the dogs, literally. Allmendinger and his No. 84 machine missed the race last season, but he's using SPEED and Misty, his yellow Labrador, to throw out shameless plugs.

"Vote for me," Allmendinger said. "If you don't like me, that's OK, just vote for me because you like my dog."

Although since his recent television appearances with the four-legged friend, Allmendinger says the tactic may have backfired.

"When I see fans at the track, they say, 'Hey that's the cute dog on TV,' but then they ask who I am," Allmendinger laughed.

Not sure if the dog will work, but television worked for Kenny Wallace, last season's Fan Vote winner.

Meanwhile, Sadler is also looking for the sympathy vote, as if the Earnhardt seal of approval wasn't enough.

"I would like you to select my name for only one reason: My crew. I have been in five All-Star Races before, but not all of my crew has experienced the energy from that race," Sadler explained. "They have worked very hard to build great cars this year. So if you could vote me in for my team, that would be great."

Granted, some NASCAR fans and industry types, even drivers, don't agree with the Fan Vote and feel the election is an undeserving way to make a race filled with legitimate All-Stars.

I say, hey, it's all for entertainment value and at least it doesn't dominate your television screen for an entire year.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.