Obama won't sponsor Cup car after all

Late Friday night the Obama campaign said it would not sponsors the BAM Racing car of Ken Schrader at Pocono later this season.

"The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama's message of change." Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman, told The Associated Press.

No further comment was made on the change of direction by the Obama campaign.

The turnaround is a setback for BAM Racing, which hasn't run in a points race since Martinsville in March. The team has been idle mainly because of lack of sponsorship.

BAM issued a statement Saturday:

 BAM RACING No. 49 WILL NOT BE AFFILIATED WITH OBAMA CAMPAIGN   CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 12, 2008) – Today, BAM Racing team owner Beth Ann Morgenthau issued the following statement to clear up any confusion from the past few days.   According to Mrs. Morgenthau, “An independent agent, knowing BAM Racing was seeking corporate sponsorship to return to the track, requested permission to connect BAM Racing with all three presidential campaigns. BAM agreed to explore the options. The same independent agent referred to as, ‘a BAM spokesperson’ in the recent Sports Illustrated article, ‘revealed’ what was only tentative, exploratory talks. BAM Racing has decided to heed the advice of the overwhelming response by fans to keep politics out of racing and continue to focus on several other exciting sponsorships soon to be announced.”    

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