The Truth About NASCAR's NRA 500
Philip Bump
3/2013
Why would a controversial political advocacy organization sponsor a NASCAR race? The same reason a regional headache remedy would. It's cheap.
This week's revelation that the National Rifle Association will sponsor a race at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth this April prompted a variety of responses. NBC News was skeptical, wondering if it wasn't "a bad move" for the NRA associating itself with high velocity pieces of metal that injure or kill people particularly after the off-road crash just two weekends ago at Daytona, where Michael Waltrip's paint job supported a Sandy Hook relief fund. Fox News noted that the race has long been associated with guns: "It's been a tradition at TMS that the winner of the Cup race gets to fire a six-shooter in victory lane. And the winner of the pole gets a rifle as a prize." The Verge's Tim Carmody wondered why the organization would bother, given the presumption that Texas racing fans are probably already on board with the NRA's mission. "Is this an ordinary and unremarkable sponsorship?" Carmody asked. "Or is it a desperate act of an organization with more money from the gun industry than real grassroots support?"
What's odd about NASCAR sponsorships is how odd and locally specific they are. The sponsors for the 40-odd races on this year's schedule can be roughly categorized as companies falling into the following categories: fast food, grocery stores, skincare, soft drinks, motor oil, tools and auto parts, rent-to-own stores, geographic locations, automotive clubs, car companies, delivery services, tech, booze, junk food, insurance, casinos, banks, and Goody's pain relief powder, founded 1932.
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The Truth About NASCAR's NRA 500 - Philip Bump - The Atlantic Wire
