Read more at CBS News.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: The National Rifle Association is taking its relationship with racing to a new level as the title sponsor of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The deal with Texas Motor Speedway comes at a time when the NRA is involved in a renewed debate on gun violence in the wake of the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
"It's not about politics. It's about sports marketing," TMS president Eddie Gossage said Monday after the announcement of the one-year agreement with the NRA that includes a renewal option.
The April 13 race at Texas, the first scheduled night race in the Cup Series this season, will be known as the NRA 500.
This is not the NRA's first title sponsorship in NASCAR. The group sponsored the second-tier Nationwide race last September at Atlanta, which like Texas is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc.
Sandy Hook
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
A Match Made in Hell
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Bedfellows? Will we see NASCAR sponsoring gunshows next?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be at all surprised. They're already kissin' cousins, maybe even a little incestuous. ;)
DeleteAh yes, it's all about macho group and self-expression. It's about thrill seeking, whether it be with high-speed vehicles or rapid-fire combat rifles. Put that deodorant down and grab a cold beer. Live life on the edge where you drive fast and shoot first and ask questions later. Live life on the edge, where you go face to face with mortal danger and spit in its eye.
ReplyDeleteLive life on the edge, like children and teachers in elementary schools in a land made safe for any lunatic with an AR-15 or AK-47, but not made safe for them. Just remember what's most important: marketing, money and the Second Amendment as defined by Wayne LaPierre.
You've got it S.W. It's all in the shift and how you shift it.
DeleteYou might like to know that NASCAR is talking about cancelling the traditional gun shooting ceremony in the winner's circle. Hope they follow through on it.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha.
DeleteTexas has become the right-wing craziness capital of the country, and Speedway Motorsports Inc. is merely one player in a field of many.
ReplyDeleteI am not a NASCAR fan, never followed the sport, and never will. Yet, I do catch snippets of headlines. Recently, local NASCAR chapters and their drivers have come out in favor of gun control. Women are entering NASCAR competition, and one pioneering woman recently won pole position at Daytona - a first.
Perhaps I should make a point about stereotyping. We should not judge an entire sport by the actions of one company or one chapter. While I condemn Speedway Motorsports Inc. for cozying up to the NRA, we should encourage the more progressive chapters for mirroring positive changes in social attitudes.
Certainly the NRA, as deplorable as they are, has a right to sponsor anything they want and people have a right to attend such events. But . . . I've been around NASCAR fans all my life - including family members and their friends. Sorry, but listening to them is akin to attending a combination NRA/KKK gathering.
DeleteI don't think the fact that women are beginning to actively compete in the races has a lot to do with this; after all, they too can be just as rabid about 2nd Amendment rights. I might also suggest separating some of the drivers (Paul Newman comes to mind) from the pit workers and the fans. I myself would love the challenge of driving a car in one of these races but I personally think you have to be somewhat intellectually limited if you enjoy seeing cars go around in circles for hours on end.
I searched for mention of these more "progressive chapters" supporting gun control but I couldn't find any - maybe because the NRA sponsorship is attracting all the attention at the moment. Instead, I found a lot of stuff like this.
Motor racing is one of those things that you may not have a particular interest in and yet it’s still a great day out.
ReplyDeleteI feel for the fans who’d like to go to enjoy the cars and get away from politics and political issues, only to have a malign political force such as the NRA put its brand all over everything.
And yeah I wonder what Newman would have had to say about all this….
It’s not just because my mother thought he was hot that I miss the guy.
Well, we can agree that Newman was hot as hell. I suffered through several races: hot, dirty, loud and boring. Sorry.
DeleteOkay.... on our next date I'll take you for dinner and a movie.
Deletevrrrmmmmm
Magpie: I'm getting duplicate messages from you for some reason. The last time you commented they came together. This one has arrived a day later. I don't know what causes that but thought you might want to know.
Deletehohoho. My place or yours? ;)
Delete