Obama Camp Nixes NASCAR Sponsorship Rumors

Following a recent Sports Illustrated story stating the Obama campaign was in talks with BAM Racing about sponsoring a Sprint Cup car, spokespeople for the Senator now claim no deal was reached. BAM Racing, a part-time outfit that hasn't fielded a car in recent weeks, made similar overtures to Sen. John McCain and at least one third-party candidate, raising hopes among Southerners for the first U.S. presidential contest to be decided on a NASCAR superspeedway. Rationale and potential pitfalls for Obama after the jump.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said "The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup Series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama's message of change." We're not sure how carbureted pushrod V8 machines turning left all day for a crowd of flat-earth enthusiasts doesn't speak change, but that's why we just write about cars.

More likely, Team Obama decided its ad dollars would be better spent at venues where the senator had a better chance of attracting voters, such as Ducks Unlimited meets, Hummer enthusiast clubs and of course NRA rallies. Which is a shame, because we were all about Obama and McCain proxies drifting and bumping around Talladega, only to have Nader sneak through the slot and eke out the race win, but still lose in the total points tally. [Seattle Times]