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]

"the IRL is not real racing. Not real good racing, anyway. It's not the best car circuit in this country — that would be NASCAR ... what is the IRL? It's a training ground for decent drivers who hope to be good enough to race somewhere important some day ... Winning in the IRL isn't a matter of talent..."

"The IRL is the junior varsity of racing, is what I'm saying. Danica Patrick finally won herself a JV race, and that's good for her, and it's a neat story. The first woman to do anything — the first man to do anything, too — is always cool. But let's not take this too far, OK?"