We didn't take Nancy Pelosi to be the NASCAR type, but yesterday, as her home state of California was choosing who it wanted to see take the only job in the Democratic Party more powerful than her own, Pelosi was in her Capitol Hill office chatting with a NASCAR driver, maybe partially because nobody else was around. Pelosi, who was chosen last year to be the first female Speaker of the House, has remained neutral as her fellow members of Congress each campaign to be either the first female or first black White House contender. Pelosi doesn't wasn't to give the appearance of favoring one marginalized group over another, and to her credit, her legislative agenda has ignored the needs of both fairly evenly.
Moreover, throughout the Bush era, Democrats have become increasingly pre-occupied with the idea of making inroads among "NASCAR voters," a group that chooses which racer to support by the corporate logo emblazoned onto his or her car.
It's understandable why this bloc would be attractive to politicians. NASCAR fans, and their love of sponsorships. They could streamline Washington with their love of sponsorships making it so much easier to explaining away huge corporate campaign donations, junkets, golf trips, and many of the other perks that come with a seat in Congress. And so, Nancy Pelosi didn't let party politics interfere with her important work as Speaker.