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No NASCAR Campaigning? Dang

by: Colorado Pols

Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 12:19:32 PM MDT

As State 38 writes:

Watch out, racing fans. According to an article in Politics Magazine posted yesterday, one of the owners of NASCAR tracks, the International Speedway Corporation (ICS), has declared that no campaigning will take place at any of the tracks they own - including those in Daytona and both candidates' home states.
Interesting, because in 1992 then candidate Bill Clinton campaigned at an ISC owned track in Darlington, SC. George Bush has done it, and as the Politics article points out, just this year Rudy Giuliani rode his campaign bus around the ISC owned track in Daytona, accompanied by music from the movie "Rudy."
But now that Obama's the Democratic candidate, all of a sudden it's not OK?
I've lived in the South long enough to know what's going on here, and I'm calling bullshit. ISC apparently thinks having a black man campaign for president at their events would cause a disruption, but NASCAR fans aren't the racists ISC thinks they are - and they should treat their fans with more respect.
ISC claims the policy has been in place for "some time" (since Giuliani lost, maybe?) but refuses to provide a copy. Again, from Politics Magazine, "When asked if her office would be willing to produce the policy in writing for Politics, [ISC lobbyist Cheryl] Coxwell declined. 'I don't think at this point that that will do either one of us any good.'"
Yeah, no kidding.

Colorado Pols :: No NASCAR Campaigning? Dang

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No NASCAR Campaigning? Dang | 5 comments

Is there somewhere a law

saying ISC must allow political campaigning at its race tracks? I doubt there is such a law. So, what's the problem? If racing fans don't like the decision, they'll stay away from the track.

by: puddin @ Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 14:37:12 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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My take

NASCAR has worked hard to broaden its support from being just a regional sport. Though rooted in Bubba culture having grown out of appalachian moonshiners, they have worked hard to broaden the sports appeal.

One would think they would be smart to have Obama campaign. The fact that they have suddenly discovered a "no politics" policy must have a basis. I suspect that they are concerned that some of their fans in certain regions would behave poorly and that would reflect poorly on NASCAR whose fans also include those that don't wave the confederate battle flag.

No information, just a thought.

by: Danny the Red (hair) @ Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 14:54:32 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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I think you hit the nail on the head

And the red neck it's attached to - to mix images.

by: Half Glass Full @ Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 17:07:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Smart move on their part

I doubt they could guarantee the safety of the candidates and with the number of fans they deal with sometimes upwards to 140,000+ I bet they don't want the headache.

Why make this a race issue?

by: bull08 @ Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 00:11:12 AM CDT

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Because it is a race issue.

Rudy rode his freakin' bus around the track at Daytona six months ago. Right up until Obama earned the nomination this ISC policy didn't exist.

I think Danny the Red (hair) hit the nail on the head, that ICS fears their fans won't respond well to Obama.

I'm usually the first person to call bullshit on bullshit race issues, but the power of racial divisions in the South can't be overstated. Whatever issues we have in Colorado, they don't compare to what I've seen in Alabama and Mississippi. (Which, by the way, don't compare to what I've seen in South Africa, where they really have it bad.)

But for ISC to all of a sudden ban campaigning because, I assume, they think their fans won't respond well to Obama - that's just disrespectful to racing fans. And not true.

For the record, the President of NASCAR extended an invitation to both McCain and Obama to come and campaign at NASCAR events. This is strictly an ICS policy, like if Kroenke Sports Enterprises said no to campaigning at the Pepsi Center after Commissioner Stern OK'd it. Certainly within their rights, but totally hypocritical after Giuliani's January Joy Ride.

by: Jeff Bridges @ Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 10:35:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]