ARMY BLOWS TAX MONEY AT THE TRACK.Byline: Drew Johnson FOR the first time, the stars of NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. will speed into the Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. to compete at the California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. twice this season - once this Sunday and again over Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. weekend. That gives Southern Californians twice as many opportunities to see firsthand that the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. military is pulling a fast one on American taxpayers. Despite repeated failures in generating enlistees through race team sponsorships, every branch of the armed forces will spend millions of recruiting dollars this year to plaster its logos on NASCAR stockcars. In total, the military's involvement with the NASCAR Nextel Cup The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCAR's top racing series. It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (1950-1971), and the Winston Cup Series (1972-2003). and Busch Grand National Series costs taxpayers over $30 million annually. Pacing the spending is the United States Army United States Army Major branch of the U.S. military forces, charged with preserving peace and security and defending the nation. The first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, to supplement local , which, for a second year, fleeced American taxpayers to the tune of $16 million to sponsor the Joe Nemechek-driven No. 01 stockcar. Last season, the Army claimed its sponsorship of the No. 01 car would generate 1,200 new recruits. In reality, the Army's association with NASCAR produced less than half that number, ultimately costing Americans a staggering $30,000 per recruit. In an open letter to Military Officer magazine, one of the Army's own recruiting company commanders, Capt. Aaron Lilley, wrote that out of 32 recruiters under his command, not a single one ``can point to an enlistment that had its roots in the NASCAR 01 car.'' Lilley continued, ``I know I am not alone; the other four company commanders in my battalion will tell you the same thing.'' Clearly embarrassed by its failed enlistment goal, the Army chose not to publicly release a target recruitment number before the start of the 2004 NASCAR season. Unfortunately, the Army isn't the only branch of the Armed Services The Constitution authorizes Congress to raise, support, and regulate armed services for the national defense. The President of the United States is commander in chief of all the branches of the services and has ultimate control over most military matters. propping up a race team with tax dollars. The National Guard spends a reported $6 million per year as a co-primary sponsor on the No. 16 Ford piloted by Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969 in Vancouver, Washington) is a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver. He now lives in Mooresville, North Carolina. He has also left a lasting impression as the "Most electrifying Craftsman Truck Series driver of the late 90s". . Add to that an approximately $3 million associate sponsorship by the Air Force on Ricky Rudd's No. 21 car and the public's commitment to Nextel Cup race teams alone eclipses $25 million. It doesn't end there. The Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and the publicly funded National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve all regularly sponsor teams in the NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Nextel Cup. , which also races this weekend at the California Speedway. Exact costs of these partnerships are unknown, but typical sponsorship agreements in the Busch Series, which functions as NASCAR's springboard circuit for the Nextel Cup Series, range from $2 million to $5 million. These military sponsorships force taxpayers to fund much of the research, development, and manufacturing costs for the cars and engines (as well as employee salaries and operational expenses) for the race teams, all of which are private, for-profit enterprises. The sponsorships leave the race teams free to jockey for earnings through race purses and bonus funds with very few expenses left uncovered by taxpayers. Limiting the potential for recruiting success is a severe lack of star power and on-track achievement by the drivers piloting the military sponsored race cars. The ``Army of One'' race team finished the previous season second-to-last in the standings among teams to compete in all of this year's events. The middling National Guard team currently sits mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in 20th place in the championship point standings; still, that's 11 positions higher than the disappointingly performing Air Force car. Other Nextel Cup sponsors would view these sub-par performances as a failed sponsorship opportunity detrimental to their bottom line. Unfortunately, the military lacks the incentive to pull the plug on their failed investments since it isn't their money used to pay for the sponsorships. It's yours. The top brass may claim that they lack funds necessary to advertise the Armed Forces. Yet, Congress must realize that it is not insufficient cash, but rather the imprudent im·pru·dent adj. Unwise or indiscreet; not prudent. im·pru  dent·ly adv. way in which the military spends its
substantial taxpayer-provided ad budget, that limits its ability to
reach potential recruits. It is time to call off this race for tax
dollars before taxpayers are caught in a wreck.
CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Racers compete in the Nextel Cup Series in Talladega, Ala., on Sunday alongside drivers with military backing. Bill Elliott/Associated Press |
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