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If Barack Obama campaigns at a NASCAR event this summer, as news reports have suggested, he may not get very far. Says who? Says two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, that’s who.
Johnson said John McCain is certainly the choice of the NASCAR fan base, most of whom are “strong Republicans.”
“The things he’s done for our country … will be noticed within our fan base,” Johnson said.
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Johnson appeared as the featured luncheon speaker at the National Press Club on Tuesday. (Apparently this NASCAR thing is big — we couldn’t tell through the fog of our coastal-urban elitism.)
Before spending an hour on the podium, he confessed his fear of public speaking, saying he’s more nervous with a tie on than “a four-layer fire suit.”
Things only got politically dicey when moderator Sylvia Smith asked him whether there is “anything inappropriate about a sport based on fuel consumption.”
With NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications looking on, he initially punted, replying, “I’m not sure I’m fit to comment.”
Quickly recovering, he noted that while he sees the “need to be creative in looking at alternate fuel sources,” he hasn’t heard anything about shortening races to save fuel.
He added that he does drive a hybrid, although he primarily saves fuel by not being home a lot. “I want to do my part, even though it may sound crazy coming from a race car driver,” he said.
When asked if “Talladega Nights” or “Days of Thunder” more accurately represented the world of stock cars, the champion (and one of People’s Sexiest Men in the Fast Lane) replied, “I don’t think either. I haven’t seen anyone run around in their helmet and underwear.”
He said “Days of Thunder,” with Tom Cruise at the wheel, actually did more to “help our sport and move it along,” although from a driver’s perspective, he found it a bit unrealistic.
