Cindy McCain headlines "Victory 2008" at NASCAR race

Hey, guys and gals!

Pack extra suds into that cooler and a heavy load of chew when y'all head down to Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina for a Republican National Committee kick-off to Saturday night's NASCAR Bank of America 500: None other than Cindy McCain will attend the "Victory Rally and Cowboy Troy concert to show support for John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the entire Republican ticket." All the down-home fun starts at 3pm.

Judging by the crowds of real Americans which McCain and Palin have been drawing to their rallies lately, the race could be a mere sideshow to this "Victory 2008" rally.

(Yes, it's NASCAR Barbie!)

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, NASCAR drivers Richard Petty and Richard Childress, Cowboy Troy, and John McCain's son, Doug McCain, will address grassroots volunteers, participate in voter-registration activities, and speak to voters.

The event also will feature a special announcement by Petty and Childress, who will unveil their endorsements of John McCain and Sarah Palin for president and vice president. Oh, be still my thumpin' heart.

(Family-friendly NASCAR welcomes hard liquor distillers as major sponsors; this fan shows his appreciation)

It all happens Saturday night at Lowes ... And don't ferget yer Jonny Reb flags, either! "Stars and Bars" forever!

Hmmm ... Maybe Mr. Sarah Palin will be there, too; if his wife lets him, that is. He can pick-up some pointers on seceding from the Union, as interested as he seems to be in such things ... We think it's real nice that he has such an interesting hobby. That boy's smart as a whip.

Comments

[JessWonderin]

The problem is "$350,000 Outfit" Cindy is far from Tee-shirt "NASCAR" material, and any true fan would take offense at being used like the troops as photo-op props . . . . as for Petty . . . he should stay a "Legend" for ALL, rather than publicly display a true ignorance of the damage done by the Republicans . . . . guess it doesn't take much crucial thinking skills to drive fast and hard . . . .

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

I am simply amazed at the amount of money the Pentagon (our money) spends on NASCAR, specifically. A primary sponsorship on a competitive Sprint Cup car is never less than $10 million a year, and probably quite a bit more. The Army, Air Force, Navy, National Guard, Marines, Coast Guard and even Border Patrol are all big-time NASCAR sponsors. When Jeff Gordon was going through his divorce and fans found out that he and his wife were fighting over who gets the jet and who gets the full-time nanny, a lot of them were shocked and turned-off. Now we find that Carl Edwards, after a tough day on the track, pilots his own Citation jet to the next event. Edwards' team owner, Jack Roush, collects and flies antique and racing airplanes I suppose most fans would not begrudge them their success, but there has got to be some level of resentment, and it's probably not too small. Incidentally, the race this past weekend at Lowes, the Bank of America 500 (don't we all own the BofA now?) had more empty seats than I've seen at a Sprint Cup event in years.
They'll get hurt and maybe they'll grow-up a little, too.
Steve Parker

[rpd123]

Not so fast. For every NASCAR-lovin' Bubba here in North Carolina, there is someone who is disgusted by all the jobs we've lost that have gone overseas.

This overwhelmingly caucasian gathering will drum up no new support that McCain doesn't already have. I think North Carolina is going to the good guys this time -- the first time since 1976.

[redsongia]

There's no reason why you can't be a "Bubba" enjoy your NASCAR, yet resent being lied to by the Republican candidate so thoroughly, that you give up hope that the values they are supposed to represent will ever be achieved during their presidency, and vote Obama. :)

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

Agreed!
I think a lot of those folks are going through what Dr. Thompson called an "agonizing reappraisal" of their conditions and situations. It's got to be tough to wake-up one morning and be told that everything you thought important was either wrong or a lie. We have to have some pity ... We're all going through that these days, to some extent or another.
Steve Parker

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

I'd love to see the 'Southern Strategy' recover to what it once was - Democratic politicians at every level of governance. I have to say that I am encouraged by messages such as yours! Sometimes we do take lightly what we might view as the failings of others ... Thanks!
Steve Parker

[Jingo]

Todd Palin races snow machines, not car machines.

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

He's apparently pretty good at snowmobiling, too. Maybe his wife can help get him a sponsor ...
Thanks for your comment.
Steve Parker

[Aaror]

Please be careful with stuff like this...
There are a lot of NASCAR fans who vote Democrat-well, unless they think the party is looking down on them and making fun of them, then they vote Republican where they feel comfortable.
And we wonder why we keep losing???

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm one of those NASCAR fans who votes Democratic. You're right in saying "be careful," but the truth is that NASCAR, as an organization, still hasn't left behind their '50s-style mentality. There are a lot of things NASCAR could do, as a sanctioning body and track owner, which would help them move towards being a true national sport, which is what they really want. But they do nothing pro-active in any way, even when given the chance. Their "Drive for Diversity" minority driver and team program is a joke - In the several years it's been running, there have been exactly 15 people who have taken advantage of its intern program. When Juan Pablo Montoya came to NASCAR out of F1, they actually tried to claim him as a result of the diversity program. No one bought that, so the claim went away. But they tried.
I'm just hoping open-wheel racing can be saved from disappearing in this country so we fans have some real choices again.
NASCAR has recently been turned-down in NYC, Portland and Seattle when they tried to build new tracks - I don't think we have to be so careful as NASCAR should be willing to change and be dragged into at least the 20th century.
Thanks again!
Steve Parker

[Knarf]

Childress and Petty. Them som good ole boys! If Joe Gibbs racing jumps in the dirty pit grease. My days of watching Nascar are over.

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

Gibbs is really something - Don't know if you read the posting about his cheating in the Nationwide Series, but it's a heck of a story. Now, Coach Gibbs probably didn't know it was going on, but his sin, who runs the team day-to-day, must have. In any event, it appears Coach hasn't done too good a job of instilling his "Christian morals" in his employees. And trust me - Gibbs is happy that Tony Stewart is leaving the team. Gibbs thinks Stewart's way past his driving prime (I don't agree) and wants to hire younger, cheaper kids that he'll have more control over. Stewart's happy because he'll get back with his friends from Chevrolet. You know what they say ... "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie ... and Chevrolet."
Of course the team Stewart is becoming co-owner of has its own problems. Like its founder and Stewart's partner, Gene Haas, doing federal time for tax evasion ... What a sport! What characters!

[likeicare]

Mr. P. --

You forgot something: Don't forget your white sheets and hoods!

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for the comment ... But I wouldn't go that far. While the four-century old institutionalized racism in the South is bad enough, I've been to enough neighborhoods in NYC, Boston and Los Angeles (I've been to every state but Alaska - Now I know why) to know that racism remains, perhaps, the single most destructive aspect of life in America. They might call it something else in L.A., but it is what it is. I think a lot of us are hoping for some big changes in that in the next few years, starting with Election Day next month. When the McPalin is being told, "You're playing with fire," they really need to take heed and listen with their hearts ... and minds.