Candidates, begin your engines … NASCAR is filled with brilliant minds, heavy wallets, concern about the underprivileged and those with extra-needs, and they truly believe that government can make a difference. Race to that tune or you just won’t win the run.

Can anyone be elected to the office of President without the NASCAR vote? No. Do they have to be NASCAR fans, or savvy about NASCAR races, to be elected? No. Do they have to know who the people of NASCAR really are and address those concerns? Oh, yes.

First, they and their advisors must realize that NASCAR is not about “dads.” There are almost as many female fans as male fans. Even NASCAR owners and sports demographic sources seemed on “disconnect” about this. You’ll see the numbers of female fans quoted as being anywhere from 41% to nearly 50%. If you attend a NASCAR race, you may well decide females are about 75% of the nasty.

Who are these women and what do they like about NASCAR. You’ve probably seen the Allstate commercial of indignant women backing into a light pole as they drooled over Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Nextel Cup Series car. So, the fact that many of the racers are better looking than current Hollywood stars is one dimension of it. When one looks at stout, lanky, super-handsome #55 driver Michael Waltrip, it is easy to see why some woman have photographed his Citizen Eco-Drive print ad photo for wallpaper on their cell phones.

But, there are other reasons too. These women are from all walks of life, and all kinds of occupations. Some are teachers who have an entire curriculum could be developed around NASCAR, using it to teach everything from history and social studies to math and physics. Many women who are in scientific fields are drawn to this sport for the same reasons as their scientific male counterparts … this sport is all about physics, math, and growing technology. It is cutting edge.

Women love the sexy looking clothes. Take it from me, these suits look great on the guys, but also can look dramatic and sexy on fans when they do the offered “ride-alongs” and drives offered by some tracks and some racers. I tried it out a couple of years ago and found that one … the suit was super sexy on, I didn’t want to give it back.

Being in the car, as a passenger or driver, sets off a reeling amount of contradictions. In his autobiography, Dale Earnhardt Jr talks about this conflict and that before he gets in the car he often wonders why he is risking his life, then once he gets going the concept goes away. As I slid over the doorframe and into the car I had that same thought pattern.

The first lap is a blur. Vision adapts on the next lap and you start being able to see everything that you are whipping past. And hanging off a high banking 4^th turn, with your harness rattling, well … it is the wildest feeling in the world. When Dale Jarrett, owner of the Jarrett Racing Experience and the #44 driver, asked me a few months after my drive, “How did you like it? ” I had to tell him that “Every fan should do it. It is awesome.” Women cherish adventure. In fact, of the dozens of people doing drives the morning I did, all the ones who were begging to “do it again” … ALL were women. This does not, however, give any advantage to Governor Palin. Women who love adventure are free thinkers.

Second, the candidate and their staff must realize there is not a relationship between getting the “southern state” votes and getting the NASCAR vote. There are plenty of southerners who could care less about NASCAR, just as there are people in Wisconsin who would trade in their cheesehead gear in a minute for an autograph from homeboy Matt Kenseth, 2004 NASCAR Champion.

The south and stereotypical NASCAR is passé. Yes, there was some truthiness in the movie TALLADEGA NIGHTS but only insofar as the sport exists in Talladega, and as it existed 25 years ago. Actually, some praise goes to that movie for an idea that the sport does embrace diversity. Featuring the fine actor Michael Clarke Duncan as Ricky Bobby’s crew chief took the sport somewhere it should actually go … we should be seeing more minorities in those kinds of high profile jobs.

Third, the successful candidate needs to know that there IS a growing amount of diversity in the sport. Many don’t realize that Bill Lester, driver in the Craftsman Truck Series, is the only unusual dusky driver in the three top NASCAR series. Bill is a high tech guy with a college degree in Education & Computer Science from University of California, Berkeley. Look around at all the pits at all the races. You’ll see a rainbow. If you are going to be President, you’ll have to stop thinking of NASCAR as a redneck sport and see it as the technology driven sport it surely is. And one that appeals to smart people.

Third, NASCAR fans, by and big, have a substantial amount of discretionary income. They have to have that. This is not a cheap sport. For one person, to one major race the ticket alone will likely be $100. Add to that fuel to get their, possibly airline tickets and rental car, accommodations, probably more tickets since you’ll likely want to see the entire weekend of racing. As a single person, traveling in my own truck, I end up spending about $1,000 each time I attend a hasten.

Fourth, NASCAR fans are for the most part highly educated. Most of the fans I chat with have at least one college degree, some, like me, have multiple degrees. I’ve even met a rocket scientist at a Vegas race.

Some think of NASCAR as sort of “simple” … hey, it’s just folks driving around and around in circles. Well, other than one in Tennessee, I can’t judge of any major tracks that are really circles … ovals, tri-ovals, rectangles … but not circles. I guess these people who think they are too smart to like NASCAR, just don’t understand geometry very well.

Richard Feynman, the physicist who served so well on the Challenger investigation committee, was a child protégée. When he entered his first college physics classroom his classmates couldn’t understand what he was talking about. Learning on his own, he had developed his absorb language for concepts in physics. Still his knowledge of how things work far surpassed most others working in the field.

When I listen to Darryl Waltrip talk about the vortex of heat that builds up and keeps the track drier even when rain is nearby, or when I hear Richard Petty talk about the coathanger shape of a track and how that can be used for acceleration, I am reminded of Richard Fenyman. Waltrip and Petty haven’t studied physics but they know all about the aspects of it they have used in their careers. With their experience, and they processing of that information, they are just as knowledgable about physics in their occupation as Feynman was in his.

Fifth, people in NASCAR have the very best of hearts when it comes to giving to others and working with their communities and charities. The Petty Family’s Victory Junction Camp, part of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps founded by Paul Newman, is one very visible charity that has been developed by racing families to help seriously ill children from all over the country. Many of the sport’s top athletes give their time and money to this charity. And most of the stars in NASCAR have their own charities they work with. Dale Jr is well known for his work with humane societies, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman each have charities to help homeless animals.

Do the Republicans have an edge with NASCAR? Well, even Democratic NASCAR fans thought it was pretty cool when Mr. Bush let the cars be parked on the White House lawn and invited the top 10 finishers to the Oval Office. However, no one has ever overlooked the fact that Mr. Bush’s advisors understand the value of a great photo op. The phrase that could best account for the recent presidency is “photo-op-iness.” But, that only goes so far.

Yes, Mr Bush did put in a day at the Victory Junction Camp, just as he did fly-ins to the Gulf coast in the days after Katrina. He loves those photo-ops. And he loves the money that dear Champion Richard Petty gave to his campaign.

And certainly the federal government has mined the NASCAR fan snide and each branch of the military has a vendor booth at each and every race. So, they do recruit more soldiers from NASCAR than any other sport.

Democrats also need to be buying vendor plot at the races and selling what they are offering: Peace, Prosperity, Jobs, Health Insurance coverage for all Americans. Democrats need to reach the 100,000 to 250,000 people that attend these races. Democrats do need to let the NASCAR audience know that we understand them and that we ARE them. NASCAR’s fan base expanded most during the Presidency of Bill Clinton. NASCAR sponsors, teams and fans suffered financially under Mr. Bush.

Now, I don’t know if Bill ever attended a NASCAR urge but he won big, so for sure he was getting the NASCAR fans vote. His message embraced everyone and made positive what was “in it” for others.

Today, NASCAR has 43 “candidates” (or racers) racing to the “chase” … the final 10 races of the year. Only one becomes Champion as only one will become President in the 2008 election. And the win does not always go to the first, fastest, or best … it goes to the one with the most consistency. Give us consistency, and we’ll put you in the top spot.