Sunday, July 22, 2012

Feds vote to continue military advertising in NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard

Shortly after the Army National Guard halted sponsorship of Stewart-Haas Racing, which fields teams for Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow the military to continue using funds to advertise in sports, including NASCAR.

Reps. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn., sought to cut over $72 million from the defense budget in 2013, which would have ended sponsorship deals the military holds with NASCAR, IndyCar and National Hot Rod Association drag racing. The cuts would also have affected Ultimate Fighting Championship and bass fishing sponsorships.

Perhaps it's not surprising that major opposition to the plan came from representatives of North Carolina, Florida and Mississippi, hotbeds of NASCAR activity. In addition, a joint letter opposing the move was submitted by NASCAR, the IZOD IndyCar series, Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association.

Ultimately, it appears that military advertisements at sporting events won't be going away in the foreseeable future.

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