Oops.

May 11, 2003 3:02 PM

North Carolina governer crashes into speedway wall in NASCAR stunt, also promises to name bridge after American Idol idiot. I never thought I'd be forced to vote Republican this soon. . .
posted by mark13 (13 comments total)

Not just a stunt, but practice for a charity fundraiser with money pledged for each lap he completes over 160 mph. The spot where he lost control is quite infamous for taking out even the best of NASCAR's drivers.

As for naming a bridge, who cares? The gov himself said it will probably only be a small bridge.

I often defend posts labelled "newsfilter", but do you really think this warranted global attention?
posted by mischief at 3:16 PM on May 11, 2003

i've gotten a lot of mileage from saying that the guy that lives 2 blocks away from me crashed a stock car and then saying that this wouldn't be so bad if the guy who lived 2 blocks away from me wasn't the governor of north carolina. its a good joke, so to anyone who lives around 2 blocks away from the governor's mansion in raleigh, i say use the joke. its a proven winner in various social situations.
posted by oog at 3:37 PM on May 11, 2003

Graham has previously indicated that he hopes to obtain the support of so-called “NASCAR Democrats.” Broadly speaking, NASCAR Democrats are rural, conservative voters—presumably fans of stock car racing—who normally back the GOP.

and

While Dems perennially use Social Security to scare seniors, their target this year is broader: 50-plus voters, including many NASCAR Democrats--blue-collar workers who back Bush and the GOP on terrorism and Iraq but, spooked by a 2 1/2-year stock market decline, worry about their retirement. In a low-turnout election, their support will be critical.

NASCAR Democrats previously discussed on MeFi here
posted by matteo at 3:41 PM on May 11, 2003

Meanwhile, in real racing, Alex Zanardi just finished the 13 laps he missed after a horrible accident 2 years ago that cost him his legs at the CART German 500. (video here.)

Wait, was this a NASCAR flamefest or a Rep vs. Dem war?
posted by Space Coyote at 4:05 PM on May 11, 2003

Alex Zanardi just finished the 13 laps

Anyone that missed the end of Zanardi's odyssey today really needs to watch that video. He is truly an inspiration.
posted by machaus at 5:18 PM on May 11, 2003

Leave Clay Aiken out of this. The boy can SING.

(and the bridge thing was probably just a joke-we Southerners are always saying stuff like that that we don't necessarily mean.)

But I would like a Republican governor, please.
posted by konolia at 5:26 PM on May 11, 2003

EASLEY.
FOR.
PRESIDENT!
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 6:31 PM on May 11, 2003

promises to name bridge after American Idol idiot

On the plus side, though, the governor's page touts him for dedicating the James Taylor Bridge across Morgan Creek (hwy. 15-501 in Chapel Hill) a couple of weeks ago.
posted by Zurishaddai at 6:38 PM on May 11, 2003

James Taylor Bridge - the only bridge in American where you drive halfway across, pause, roll backwards a few feet, then slam the car in forward and gun it to get to the end.
posted by dejah420 at 8:54 PM on May 11, 2003

dejah: huh?

And where in Chapel Hill is Morgan Creek? Is that the one near the mall? What intersection/off-ramp is Morgan Creek (near)?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:26 PM on May 11, 2003

Here's the location of the bridge and a good article with specifics about Taylor's connection to that place.
posted by Zurishaddai at 11:15 PM on May 11, 2003

[jawa] ooteedee! [/jawa] Thanks. Now I can place it.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:27 PM on May 11, 2003

"James Taylor Bridge", gosh what a quaint name. Now the "James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge", there's a name for a bridge.
posted by m@ at 11:19 AM on May 12, 2003