Dale Earnhardt Jr. Calls Out Congress On Military Sponsorships

I posted an item on this yesterday in which a GOP and Dem member of Congress were promoting legislation that would ban the military from sponsoring teams in NASCAR among other sports.  It's a stupid law, especially given the recruiting impact the NASCAR sponsorships have had for the respective military branches.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose team is sponsored by the National Guard, is calling them out:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Friday urged a Republican who backed an amendment to end military sponsorship of sports to do his “homework” on NASCAR’s influence by attending a race.

The popular NASCAR driver, who is sponsored by the National Guard, singled out Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) for his sponsorship of an amendment to a defense bill that would prohibit the military from using federal funds to sponsor professional sports teams.

“I think the Republican from Georgia that is heading the bill hasn't even been to a NASCAR race," Earnhardt said during a media event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to multiple reports.

Earnhardt suggested attending a race might change Kingston’s mind.

“Just because he's a Republican from Georgia, he ought to have been to a NASCAR race by now,” he said.

Kingston’s office confirmed that the congressman has never attended a NASCAR race, but said they had yet to receive a formal invitation from Earnhardt.

NASCAR races are incredibly patriotic events, and military sponsorship of teams have yielded significant recruiting results. It's money well spent. Congress should provide a budget to the military for recruiting and then let them decide how to spend it. They know what works and what doesn't far better than some congressman.