Texas Tadacip governor Rick Perry has kept no secrets about playing favorites when it comes to NASCAR, and he’ll be cheering along Bobby Labonte’s No. 71 stock car from the Texas Motor Speedway at the April 18 Samsung Mobile 500. Perry has officially merged politics with NASCAR, as his re-election campaign is sponsoring Labonte’s car at the upcoming Texas race.

For racing fans with NASCAR tickets to this month’s Texas Sprint Cup race, Brand Levitra a first glance at history in the making will be seen zooming around the racetrack. Labonte’s No. 71 Chevy will feature red and blue lettering with the words “Governor Perry” adorning the front and “Perry Governor 2010” penned on the car’s backside. Perry coughed up $225,000 for the one-race sponsorship, and the Republican will be rooting for the underdog (Labonte is currently 31st in point standings) to take the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race in mid-April.

Speaking to Dallas Morning News about the unlikely sponsorship, Governor Perry likened Bobby Labonte’s driving to Texas’ “strong economy,” stating, “You build it right and you know what it’s capable of.” Perry continued, “I know that he’s going to take the checkered flag at the speedway and we’re going to take the green flag for the economy.”

Despite the overflowing racing quips to compare politics and racecar driving, a burn was delivered from his rival – Democrat Bill White – earlier this week in the form of White’s spokeswoman Katy Bacon. Responding to Perry’s speech, Bacon said, “Given Perry’s record on education, we’re assuming this car is going to go mostly in reverse or drop out of the race.”

No matter how politics plays out, Bobby Labonte will get to drive in one more race this season, this time under the sponsorship of Rick Perry. He still has a ways to go, however, if he wants to take that checkered flag by storm in the April 18 race at Texas. Labonte’s 2010 NASCAR season has gotten off to a slow start this year, with his best finishes at Daytona and Bristol, where he placed 21st at both.

The TRG Motorsports extraordinaire has been on the Sprint Cup circuit since 1991, and Labonte’s longstanding clout with NASCAR is perhaps what has led a Texas governor to make history in becoming the first politician to ever sponsor a stock car. Labonte spent most of his peak career years with Joe Gibbs Racing in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and No. 71 has notched some very impressive numbers on the Cup Series circuit, winning the Cup championship in 2000 and coming in second overall in 1999.

Though last year was only mildly successful for Labonte, who finished 30th overall after the 2009 season, perhaps Governor Perry’s backing will help ignite a fire under the 45-year-old driver. The Labonte name has deep NASCAR roots, with Bobby’s brother Terry Labonte also having been a NASCAR legend of old, and the Corpus Christi, Texas native will have more than a little support from his home state of Texas as he makes his way to the Texas Motor Speedway later this month for the Samsung Mobile 500. As for Rick Perry’s re-election campaign, that’s a story for another day.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Category: Cars and Trucks
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