Car and Driver pulled off the biggest April Fools' Day joke of the day on its Web site, caranddriver.com. It posted a story headlined "Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR – Car News"
Granted, right below the headline, you saw the words "HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY! THIS IS A JOKE. LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE". Still, it became one of the hottest items on Twitter during the noon hour and has sparked a lot of conversation about the auto industry's involvement in NASCAR.
(UPDATE: Car and Driver pulls the story, apologizes for the hoax, saying "it went too far").
The fake story by Jared Gall, said:
In a move sure to spark outrage, the White House announced today that GM and Chrysler must cease participation in NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season if they hope to receive any additional financial aid from the government. Companies around the globe—Honda and Audi, to name two—have drawn down racing operations, and NASCAR itself has already felt the pinch in the form of reduced team spending. A complete withdrawal from America’s premier racing series is expected to save more than $250 million between GM and Chrysler, a substantial amount considering the drastic measures being implemented elsewhere.
While this is a joke, one has to wonder if Barack Obama would actually call for the auto industry to pull its funding of NASCAR teams and other motorsports' ventures. It's not outside the realm of possibility. After all, President Obama strong armed General Motors to obtain the resignation of chariman and CEO Rick Wagoner.
Still, the Obama administration hasn't reached that level with NASCAR. Tony Stewart talked about the issue during Tuesday's NASCAR teleconference.
"I know that talking to the people at Chevrolet they're very committed to the racing program," said Stewart, who is a driver and team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "They realize the value of it with not only the rest of corporate America but what it does to our nation. It still goes back to 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday.' This is a sport that's been good for the auto industry and vice versa."
