Santorum's campaign speeds into Daytona
(CNN) – Rick Santorum said he had a few words of advice for veteran NASCAR driver Tony Raines, who's driving a car sponsored by Santorum's campaign in the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday.
"When you're starting way back in the pack, just hang back there for a while," Santorum said, joking about his own recent surge in the Republican presidential race. "Let all the other cars in front of you wreck. And then run hard in the last few laps and win the race."
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He made his comments Sunday to a laughing audience at a campaign stop in Marquette, Michigan.
For the race, Raines is driving Front Row Motorsports' No. 26 Ford Fusion – a car Santorum said he is "very excited about."
The campaign's logo is featured on the car's hood and quarter panels for the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at the 2.5-mile speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
"We're glad to partner with the Santorum campaign," Team Owner Bob Jenkins said in a statement. "We know there will be millions of eyes on these cars on Sunday and we know we can help get their message out."
While Santorum himself will not be at the race, he said he intended to watch it. His chief GOP rival Mitt Romney made a speedway stop earlier in the day on Sunday.
The race comes two days before both candidates face off in Michigan, which serves as the manufacturing hub for much of the country's auto industry.
- CNN's Tom Cohen and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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I would be willing to bet the car crashes the same way ST. Ricky's campaign has
Rick Santorum is definately a NASCAR guy living in a Formula One world, and I predict one firey crash after another. He might as well be driving a horse and buggy because he doesn't stand a chance!
Hope he doesn't hit a patch of santorum and cause a wreck.
Perfect fit. A redneck candidate sponsoring a NASCAR entry.
It's raining at Daytona. God's sending you a sign, Rick.
Santorum thinks the Dept. of Education costs too much.
How much does STUPID cost?????
His car is not going to wreck, it's just going to run out of gas before the finish.
You can make a legitimate argument that without dumb southern white males, the republican party would be doomed.
Dumb? If they were smart, they'd realize that the republicans are making them pay higher tax rates than millionaires. Dumb? If they were smart, they'd realize that the republicans were helping businesses ship their jobs overseas.
Dumb? If they were smart, they'd realize that the republicans were preventing them from getting fair access to low cost health care. Dumb? If they were smart, they'd realize that the republicans want them to fight all these worthless wars. Dumb? If they were smart, they'd realize that the republicans want to diminish their social security and medicare!
# 26 ,
The Rick Viagra Santorum for President race car didn't win .
And Mitt Looks like a real gear head in the red racing jacket , NOT .
Remember when Bush had Air Force 1 do a fly by at the tax payers expense . 100,000,00 dollar fly by.
Santorium does realize that the cars in a NASCAR race turn only LEFT, doesn't he? How much did the hood job for one race cost (the word is $5 million for an entire season). Pay in cash or an in-kind contribution from the team owner?
And "Core Republican Values, the only ones at that entire race who should be even thinking of voting ReTHUGlican should be the owners, the drivers, and the sponsors. The RETHUGlican platform will cost all of the rest present higher taxes as they make the fat cats feel better about having to live around the rest of us.
It fits him just fine. Sitting around watching a bunch of "boys" driving around in circles for hours. Yeah, just got home from a great day outside in Florida....better way to spend it in my opinion.