For the second time Donald Trump has made a ‘bigly’ show of attending NASCAR’s biggest race only to preside over a rainout. Back in 2020 he was Grand Marshall, and the rain was such a downpour and lasted so long the race had to be done the next day. This year Trump decided to try again, and again the rain and wind were enough to stop racing early on. Only eleven of the two hundred laps had been completed (two of them under a yellow caution flag) when things shut down. The winds at least moved the storm out and some three-plus hours later conditions were safe enough to resume racing. But there was yet another delay of about an hour. At least NASCAR was able to finish the race under the lights since darkness had fallen.
If you don’t know, the Daytona 500 at the outset of each NASCAR season is THE event. It’s their version of the Super Bowl. Prior to being President and ‘King of the MAGAs’ there’s not a chance in hell Trump would spend time at any auto race. But NASCAR is pure MAGA stuff. It is after all where the whole “Let’s Go Brandon” (translation: F**k Joe Biden) got started! Anyway NASCAR is unique in major sports in holding its “championship” race at the beginning of the season instead of the end. I’ve only been to one of their races. Back when I was on active duty a pal who’d transferred in from Gitmo (this was back in the 1980s) had a couple of tickets for Dover but no car. So he invited me. The cost of gas back and forth (from Arlington, VA) didn’t come close to the price of my ticket but Al refused me even buying him drinks and food. I did learn a lot though. However while for a few years I’d watch parts of big races I never became a fan, just as despite so many people I knew who blew big wads of money heading over to the Indy 500 I never had the urge.
However as I keep saying this is THE race to NASCAR drivers and the tens of millions of fans, almost all of whom are MAGA. I’m sure both in 2020 and again this year they were ecstatic that their Turd God Emperor was going to ‘bless” their beloved race with his attendance. Alas, as this article from Daily Express US tells us the ‘curse” of Trump at the race struck again. In fact, according to the linked articles there were fears what happened today might happen – again:
When Trump’s attendance was announced, fans feared he would ‘curse’ the event, given his previous two attendances at the Daytona 500 ended in disaster.
The 2020 race was delayed by a day and also ended with a horrific crash for Ryan Newman. Trump was also in attendance at the race in 2001 when the legendary Dale Earnhardt was killed in a last lap crash.
Got that? His first trip to the Daytona race when one of NASCAR’s icons died in a crash. The second time, Trump again went to only to have the race was washed out and had to be done the next day (It happens but not often). Not exactly the kind of thing that would inspire happy thoughts for fans of racing. Trump COULD have and in retrospect will realize SHOULD have just taped a “I love NASCAR. Here’s hoping everyone from every driver to every fan has a great day” message to be played on TV and big screens at the venue. But noooooooo. He just had to show up in person.
I wonder if the top boss at NASCAR will have the stones to, if after THREE strikes (a complete rainout, the death of an icon, and today massive rain delays forcing a nighttime running of most of the race) suggest what I just did – that Trump just tape a message or even go on TV live as the pace car leads the drivers around the track for a few laps so they can fully warm up their cars and those tires.
But I for one say the Trump Jinx on NASCAR is for real. And if people were worried it might exist before today they sure as hell won’t want him at the Daytona 500 again, or any of their other bigly races. It’s another crack in Trump’s unique teflon armor. But for me it’s mostly amusing that Trump made a big show of being seen at a HUGE NASCAR event only to preside over a mess of a day. I take my entertainment where I can find it, and this is downright funny! I’ll bet most of you who’ve read this think so too. More importantly, if you know MAGAs and they happen to like NASCAR you can now needle them about the “Trump Curse/Jinx.”
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I used to be a CASHCAR … er … NASCAR fan. Haven’t been one for years since they changed the format of the races. I would usually watch them on tv but started getting into open-wheel racing and my NASCAR interest started dwindling, especially after I figured out how much the drivers were dicks, after going to a Champ Car race and the drivers were awesome. Then they changed the format. The worst was the Coca-Cola 600 became the Coca-Cola 150s. Gone. *Quite* happy to be gone. I watch my IndyCar and F1 (when I remember, early mornings for me) and SCCA. Memorial Day weekend was the Indy500 (went once) and the Coca-Cola 600. BIG racing day. No more.
Denis, I don’t know if you can go back and edit but you made a big boo-boo with the following:
“His first trip to Daytona and the race was washed out and had to be done the next day. (It happens but not often) The second time, the very next year Trump again went to the race only to have one of NASCAR’s icons die in a crash.”
Well, it’s a big boo-boo if the block-quote that you included is accurate. The block-quote leads off with the 2020 attendance that was rained out but it was then followed by “Trump was also in attendance at the race in 2001” referring to the death of Earnhardt. But the “first trip” that YOU discuss was actually the SECOND trip (and vice versa)–unless you have access to a time machine, abducted Trump and forced him to appear in 2001 after he’d attended in 2020 (but, for those of us who exist in linear time, the 2001 event would have happened before the 2020 event).
Got it. Thank you Joseph!
Denis, I think you missed a big reason Sphincter Face attended in person and it was sickening! He dragged cute little blond Carolina Trump, unfortunate daughter of Eric and Lara, out on the track! There is not a doubt in my mind that this was an answer to PetNazi’s use of his youngest kids as humanizing props! Eric and Lara were in Daytona, but were clearly told to stand down because the regime needs to show the King with the little one seeming to show love because she was clinging to him…she wouldn’t have done that if she had been out there with adults she actually knows (more or less); her parents! 🤬🤢