Steamroller Meets Speed Racers

Something we did not realized happened on Sunday: Governor Eliot Spitzer attended a Nascar race in Watkins Glen, NY (the only NY State town that has a Nascar track, same town where the Farm Sanctuary is located) and was called "the best Jewish Nascar fan" by cable executive and race car driver Leo Hindery. The NY Times explains that his brother-in-law is an engineer at Hendrick Motorsports and that Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon is Spitzer's favorite.

But while Spitzer got to enjoy a Sunday watching cars race around a track over and over again, his Monday was a bit rough. While he was trying to announce economic developments plans for the state yesterday, reporters persisted in asking him if he was making these announcement in the dead of the summer to draw attention away from Troopergate. The Politicker has a transcript, and Spitzer promises that his aides' misdeeds will "fade deep into the background." Well, a Spitzer appointee to the State Ethics Commission has recused himself because he's a Friend of Spitzer, leaving four members left - two Pataki appointees, one from former Comptroller Hevesi and another from Spitzer.

And something interesting from the Sun: When Attorney General Andrew Cuomo issued his report (the one that criticized Spitzer's aides from their dirty tricks plotting), he essentially absolved State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno of using state aircraft to shuttle him from Albany to NYC for very short meetings that happened to be on days he had political fundraisers to attend. Cuomo had cited a 1995 opinion that apparently doesn't really exist. Hmmm.

Photograph of Spitzer at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race by David Duprey/AP.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on August 14, 2007 8:19 AM

Comments [rss]

CR

"the best Jewish Nascar fan" - Jumpin' Jesus on a pogostick! I can only imagine that guy laying in bed at night going "Man, I wish we could get me some more of them New York liberal Juuws on board, then we'd really have it made!" What a fucking bigot!

You know why not that many Jews are into Nascar? Because it's a sport for dumb fucking goyim! Nobody with half a brain would watch cars go around a track for 6 hours in the steaming hot sun while drinking a shitload of watered-down beer. If I'm gonna do that, I'll sit lakeside or on a beach somewhere.

guest

Riverhead Raceway is a Nascar-sanctioned track. It has the Whelen series and a few other regional Nascar events. I think what Gothamist means (although they probably don't know it) is that Watkins Glen is the only NY track with a Cup race. The Times has a story about Spitzer, and he clearly knows his racing. Too bad he's a Gordon fan--probably just hair envy.

guest

Doesn't Riverhead also have a Nascar track?

guest

Wow. You people are cruel. Will we ever have faith in our politicians again?

guest

Have you ever been to the Finger Lakes, Toby? You don't even know who "they" are but you're fast to assign labels to everyone. Go away.

Toby von Meistersinger

Going to a NASCAR event apparently is an attempt to try to curry favour with the upstate voters showing he is one of them.

guest

They all suck. I knew Spitzer was never going to accomplish anything. He was the Tom Cruise of Attorneys Generals: never saw the inside of a courtroom.