Don't assume all NASCAR equates to Republican

Appearing to be a man of fairness, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France invited both presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, to experience a NASCAR race this season.

Republican McCain showed up at New Hampshire while his wife, Cindy, also appeared at Pocono.

But the Democrats and Obama were no shows. A story surfaced in July that Obama's campaign agreed to sponsor a Sprint Cup car, BAM's No. 49, but for reasons unknown the arrangement was canceled. They chose to send their message of change through other channels.

Was it because the engine in the car was made by Toyota, or was it because the chosen driver has donated to Republican campaigns including President George W. Bush's in 2004? Maybe he just wasn't ready to "trade paint" with McCain.

Your guess is as good as mine here, but I'm going to presume that Obama's brain trust chose to end associations with NASCAR, because the sport shares the same stereotypes as Republicans.

If that's the case, shame on Obama's campaign. Apparently their think tank is running low.

If you do your homework about NASCAR's fan base, you know that it's a diverse and loyal group of people coming from all walks of life and economic backgrounds.

Certainly the roots are southern and the sport was built by the hands of working-class men known for putting God and country first, but that doesn't mean the sport hasn't evolved and it doesn't mean that only registered, straight-ticket voting Republicans are welcome.

"I hope it's not," said Jeff Burton, Sprint Cup driver and unofficial spokesman for the sport. "I would like to think that we make our decisions based on what's best for us as individuals and what's best for the country and that could change from being a Democrat to a Republican ever so often. Certainly this has been a heavily conservative garage for a long time, but I would by no means say it's unpopular if you were not a conservative, if you were a Democrat. I hope that's the case ... I don't think it's unpopular to be a Democrat."

In the 2004 presidential election, both Democratic candidate Al Gore and President Bush were very interested in NASCAR as the group "NASCAR dads" was discovered and quickly coveted. This election may be more focused on hockey moms, due in part to Sarah Palin's (McCain's vice presidential running mate) quip, but NASCAR is still an influential group of people that should be considered. (Continued)