Spitzer Rolls With NASCAR Crowd

The Times noticed an unlikely NASCAR fan at this weekend's race in upstate New York—Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was no doubt running slightly left of the pack. Spitzer, whose brother-in-law is an engineer for NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports, said he was supporting his favorite driver, Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon. The Pinceton-cum-Harvard Democrat in pressed trousers stood out in the macho crowd.

"We're trying to cross cultural barriers here," he quipped. Spitzer has taken flak lately for reports that his staff illegally used police to try to discredit a political opponent, leading to a campaign to nurture a trustworthy image. Sadly for the governor, Gordon spun out on the last lap and finished eight back of victor Tony Stewart. (More NASCAR stories.)