Stumping at the speedway

Earlier this week, the race for President of the United States sojourned in the heart of NASCAR country when the Democratic National Convention came to Charlotte, N.C.

On Saturday, the campaign will go on the road with NASCAR’s top series when Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President, drops in on the last Cup race before the Chase field is set.

This won’t be the first race of the season for Romney, who also attended the Daytona 500 in February. Romney enjoys considerable support in the NASCAR community. In mid-August, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France and team owner Rick Hendrick hosted a fundraiser for the GOP nominee at the Duke Mansion in the upscale Myers Park section of Charlotte.

Romney’s posture toward the automotive industry, however, has been an issue in the campaign. Under the headline “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,” Romney wrote an op-ed piece that appeared in the Nov. 18, 2008 edition of The New York Times opposing a bailout for U.S. auto makers.