NASCAR Conservatives

Since the Conservative Party announced its sponsorship of a NASCAR racing car there’s been sneering and mockery from certain ‘elites’. They’ve attempted to ridicule the Tories by suggesting racing imagery like crashes, driving in circles, knuckle-dragging, redneck fans, etc ("Yuk! Yuk!"). There has also been idiotic criticism by the environmentally ‘sensitive’ - but that’s another lame story.

So why did the Tories pick NASCAR as a means of promoting their brand? Perhaps some simple facts are in order, starting with:

Fan base: "NASCAR has a strong fan base in Canada with 5.8 million fans, representing one out of four Canadian adults. NASCAR is the No. 1 motorsport series on television in Canada. TSN recorded record ratings for its coverage of the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with a national average audience of 332,000 viewers, up 15 per cent from 2005." Assuming Canadian and American NASCAR fans are similarly composed, roughly 35% are women.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

Tracks: Nine tracks - Ontario (4), Quebec (2), Alberta (1), BC (1), Nova Scotia (1)

Schedule: Twelve races May thru Sept.

So, the Conservative NASCAR sponsorship is aimed at a very particular audience - a large audience that is relatively easy and inexpensive to reach.

The sneering opposition and others are not part of that audience - so they are, at best, irrelevant. Though, with their snotty, elitist mockery they risk offending a rather large group of voters. Remember that Liberal strategist, Scott Reid’s, "beer and popcorn" insult?