NASCAR Endorses Trump, Faces PR backlash
Brian France hasn’t been paying very close attention to the world lately. There’s no other way to explain his surprise at the blowback the NASCAR CEO’s endorsement of Donald Trump caused.
In his defense, this is the endorsement season, the point in any campaign at which others either not running or formerly running pick their horse. A private citizen should be able to publicly state a preference without getting run over by a proverbial truck. That’s how it should work … but not this year.
France is the scion of the family who built NASCAR. He is a national hero to the sports millions of dedicated fans. And France has made it a personal mission to reach out to folks who aren’t NASCAR’s traditional demographic.
Now, thanks to a single public appearance with Trump, all that work is in jeopardy. Worse, the endorsement has aggravated key teams in the sport, to whom fans owe their first and most vibrant loyalty. France was completely taken off guard … then he made it worse by telling the Associated Press he was “very surprised at the reaction to a “routine endorsement.”
That brings us back to where we began. If France had been paying attention, he would have known backing Trump was NOT a routine endorsement. Just ask Ben Carson. The former neurosurgeon recently endorsed Trump, and all hell broke loose. Many in Carson’s legion of dedicated fans have abandoned him, saying he was a fraud — and worse. Others have publicly welcomed him to the Trump train, but most of these are folks who would never support Carson otherwise. In other words, their support is nontransferable.
In NASCAR, the demographics are slightly different. Lots of Trump supporters love the sport, so, naturally, they were excited when French made his announcement. But not everyone was smiling.
Certain major NASCAR sponsors said if the relationship with Trump continues, they may be forced to invest their money elsewhere.
Then France tried to defend himself and only made it worse. He wasn’t supporting Trump because of his policies, he said, “I happen to be very enamored by the excitement he’s brought and the voter turnout that it is creating.”
NASCAR fans scratched their heads. You’re supporting a guy you don’t know if you agree with because he’s popular? Huh? When people don’t like something you said you support, don’t make it worse by admitting you don’t have any reason to support your choice. Especially in a matter this divisive.
Now, desperate thanks to several PR stumbles, both France and NASCAR are backtracking. The organization is renouncing any endorsement, and the CEO is insisting he was speaking only for himself … even if The Donald says otherwise.
Jonah Engler is a financial expert from NYC.
