Dale Jr.'s new ride

[jdavis]

While reading the morning paper I noticed that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was getting a new number and new sponsors for his race car. I noticed that one of the sponsors was the U.S. Army National Guard. The thought then occurred to me that if the National Guard is sponsoring this car then the U.S. taxpayer is picking up the tab for this! Taxpayers supporting a NASCAR team, can this actually be the case? If so, I think that I'm going to get ticked

[offshore]

Gee, this sort of stuff happens regularly here in Oz.

We have whole teams, with the major sponsor being a state government department.

Even some sports are sponsored by government funded organisations.

I would have thought this was more widespread than one depatment/org sponsoring a Nascar? No?

Offshore

[jfreeman420]

If the US National guard is sponsoring the team, then US taxpayers are sponsoring Nascar. This is the first I have heard of such a thing. Total BS if you ask me.

This is just as bad as the fact that US taxpayers are paying for all those be all you can be in the Army TV commercials. Now we are paying for those we have to continue the war commercials. Who approves this [censored]?

I really hope the Republicans don't continue to control this country. It's going to [censored].

[Pugwash]

Taxpayers supporting a NASCAR team, can this actually be the case? If so, I think that I'm going to get ticked

Taxpayers pay for the Army and the Army gets an advertising budget. Does seeing "Be all you can be" between acts of Gray's Anatomy offend you too?

The money isn't supporting NASCAR as much as it is paying for prominent advertising space.

[Pugwash]

If the US National guard is sponsoring the team, then US taxpayers are sponsoring Nascar. This is the first I have heard of such a thing. Total BS if you ask me.

This is just as bad as the fact that US taxpayers are paying for all those be all you can be in the Army TV commercials. Now we are paying for those we have to continue the war commercials. Who approves this [censored]?

I really hope the Republicans don't continue to control this country. It's going to [censored].

Wow, we said the same thing.

[Victoria]

If so, I think that I'm going to get ticked

Hey now! Where you ticked when the US Postal team were backing Lance to all those Tour de France victories?

Good for Junior, I say!

[Dizzy]

ok ya that makes sense.. advertising.. but wow they must be hurtin for people signing up when they need to advertise on a Nascar.

I thought that in the USA you got "drafted" and had to go into the amry or navy or whatever? Im from Canada, we dont have wars up here LOL. I think we have an "army & navy" up here... but i think its a clothing store at the mall

Lonnie

[Pugwash]

ok ya that makes sense.. advertising.. but wow they must be hurtin for people signing up when they need to advertise on a Nascar.

NASCAR fans are the perfect distillation of their target market.

[Victoria]

ok ya that makes sense.. advertising.. but wow they must be hurtin for people signing up when they need to advertise on a Nascar.

I thought that in the USA you got "drafted" and had to go into the amry or navy or whatever?

I know this is tongue-in-cheek, Lonnie, but just to clarify for those unaware -- neither the UK nor the US has compulsory "Dienst"/military type service, where young males do a year or so of military duty at the age of 18.

It's one of the few countries, in fact, where that's the case.

(In Germany, you can choose to opt out of the actual military and do some type of community service, but very few men actually refuse outright to serve. All the males in my family have, and my mother is from a traditional family who easily could use their pull to take them out as "conscientious objectors" or so)

I asked my boyfriend if he had to do so in Italy, being a dual Canadian-Italian citizen. He said, they haven't nabbed him yet!

Im from Canada, we dont have wars up here LOL. I think we have an "army & navy" up here... but i think its a clothing store at the mall

Don Cherry weeps! And the Princess Patricia Regiment! Sissies.

[Dizzy]

Oh yes its the perfect demographic... Sorry Pug, what i actually ment was that its EXPENSIVE so they must be hurtin if they need to go to this level of expense. For those who dont know... Nascar is HUGE in the USA... its like hockey or football or like soccer over in Europe.

Lonnie

NASCAR fans are the perfect distillation of their target market.

[Victoria]

Oh yes its the perfect demographic... Sorry Pug, what i actually ment was that its EXPENSIVE so they must be hurtin if they need to go to this level of expense. For those who dont know... Nascar is HUGE in the USA... its like hockey or football or like soccer over in Europe.

HUGE, just huge yes.

However, this girl raised with Nigel Mansell battling it out every fortnight with Alain Prost, simply cannot get into NASCAR. I've tried. We have a world-class speedway in Homestead, built after the city was levelled post-Hurricane Andrew.

I went, saw, and just said, nhhuh-nhuh. And those are my people. Blue-collar, hard-working, hard-living, hard-loving Americans.

Didn't help that a tyre flew off a car, over the barriers, and landed within 30 yards of us...

[jdavis]

I am not a NASCAR fan but, I did learn today that the Army, Navy, and now the NG are all full or part sponsors! Perhaps as Pug suggested, the military units have an advertising budget and the demographics justify the expense. It can cost several million dollars to keep a NASCAR team in operation for a year. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, that is small potatos in the total military budget.

[Victoria]

I am not a NASCAR fan but, I did learn today that the Army, Navy, and now the NG are all full or part sponsors! Perhaps as Pug suggested, the military units have an advertising budget and the demographics justify the expense. It can cost several million dollars to keep a NASCAR team in operation for a year. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, that is small potatos in the total military budget.

NASCAR sponsors.

Amongst them:

# United Auto Workers

# United Parcel Service

# United States Air Force

# United States Army

# United States Coast Guard

# United States National Guard

# United States Navy

Oddly enough, Moveon.org is missing.

[KB]

As offshore stated earlier this is a very common place thing here in Aus, we have government departments such as Vic health and TAC here in Victoria that are amongst the biggest sport sponsors and obviously it seems to be the case in Queensland too.

Ken

[Pugwash]

And those are my people. Blue-collar, hard-working, hard-living, hard-loving Americans.

Sorry, but they don't sound like you at all.

I doubt your average NASCAR-plate ownin', Trailer livin', hooch swillin' fan knows what's big in the Hamptons this season.

[CY0811]

I'd like to see a picture of G.W. Bush's head plastered on the side of the car....I would sign up for sure.

[Victoria]

Sorry, but they don't sound like you at all.

You're right. It's not LIKE ME at all.

But haven't you ever appreciated, liked or felt affection for people or things COMPLETELY unlike you or that you disagreed with?

'Cause I do all the time, else this world would be more difficult to live in, than it is.

I doubt your average NASCAR-plate ownin', Trailer livin', hooch swillin' fan knows what's big in the Hamptons this season.

One time, I had a boyfriend who was from Kentucky. It wasn't serious, but I liked him enough to visit him in Louisville, near where he grew up. But he just wouldn't let me meet his "mommy" (apparently, everyone there calls their mum that, even if they're 60 years old).

I said, come on, family = important, what are you ashamed of me?

Turns out he was ashamed, well not of his mommy, but of his trailer park homestead. I broke him down, I went, stepped inside, and was perfectly at home. His mother was nervous, but guess what? As a young girl had backpacked all over Europe -- hippie girl that she was then.

We had A LOT to talk about.

P.S.: Your 'average' NASCAR fan is not anything like you said s/he was above, of course. I'm sure you meant it to amuse, but I can't let that comment pass by without a challenge!

Stats in pie form:

http://www.jodyfolice.com/dash2.htm

More:

NASCAR FANS

Gender distribution

Male 60%

Female 40%

Age distribution

U.S. pop. NASCAR fans

18-34 32% 32%

35-44 21% 26%

45+ 47% 43%

Income distribution

U.S. pop. NASCAR fans

$30-50,000 22% 29%

$50-75,000 18% 22%

$75-100,000 12% 12%

$100,000+ 9% 8%

Regional distribution

U.S. pop. NASCAR fans

Northeast 20% 20%

Midwest 23% 24%

South 35% 38%

West 21% 19%

Ethnic diversity

% of NASCAR fan base (18+):

1999 2002 Trend

Hispanic 3.6% 8.6% +139%

African-American 4.9% 9.1% +86%

Source: NASCAR

Delaware Online: Feb 2004

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/...naushersin.html

Yet more!:

NASCAR Demographics

Compiled by Racing West

Gender

Female 38%

Male 62%

Residence

Rent 28%

Own 72%

Education

Some H.S. 12%

H.S. Grad 88%

Some College/College Grad 38%

Employment

Full Time 72%

Part Time 10%

Retired/Unemployed 18%

Occupation

Professional/Manager 27%

Tech'n/Clerk/Sales 21%

Craft Precision 13%

Unskilled Labor 10%

Retired/Unemployed 12%

Other 17%

Age

Under 18 3%

18-24 15%

25-34 29%

35-44 25%

Marital Status

Married 64%

Single 22%

Divorced/Widowed 14%

Sources: Simmons Market Research Bureau, Inc. and Performance Research

http://www.catchfence.com/html/advertisingrates.html

THOUGHTS:

I'd love to compare this to your average Premiership fan, both EPL and SPL, and see how they rank. Especially when you are allowed to leave school in our country at the age of 16 without going to higher-education, not like High School graduates here, who are therefore able to enter University, and who are usually 18. As for University graduates, well...

(Cultural note for foreigners: "College" in the US usually means "University". In the UK, it's different)

[Pugwash]

You're right. It's not LIKE ME at all.

But haven't you ever appreciated, liked or felt affection for people or things COMPLETELY unlike you or that you disagreed with?

Yes, of course. But just because I like cats doesn't mean I'll like cat food. Just because you like Nascar fans doesn't mean you'll like Nascar.

Your boyfriend is Italian/Canadian, but I presume that doesn't mean you have to enjoy Calzone with Maple Syrup ...

[Victoria]

Yes, of course. But just because I like cats doesn't mean I'll like cat food. Just because you like Nascar fans doesn't mean you'll like Nascar.

But the point is, I should be predisposed to liking something better if that's the case.

Hence my love of Country & Western music. Took me a while to come to like it, since neither parent listens to it, but I got tired of the insipidness of rap, and the boy bands of my youth (save BROS!).

At least you SING in country music...

Your boyfriend is Italian/Canadian, but I presume that doesn't mean you have to enjoy Calzone with Maple Syrup ...

Yum!

[Lyndonville]

Yes, of course. But just because I like cats doesn't mean I'll like cat food. Just because you like Nascar fans doesn't mean you'll like Nascar.

Your boyfriend is Italian/Canadian, but I presume that doesn't mean you have to enjoy Calzone with Maple Syrup ...

HAHAHAHAHAHA..........!

[Pugwash]

Hence my love of Country & Western music.

Dear god! Are you mad, woman?

[Victoria]

Dear god! Are you mad, woman?

I have my car dial permanently set to KISS country FM, baby!! I'm sure JFreeman does too.

P.S.: My current favourite song is Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman". My favourite song of ALL time is "Coal Miner's Daughter" by the inestimable Loretta Lynn.