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JanMiller--Who doesn't get it? Ksgbobo or me? Not sure I see the car and Driver piece as an aattack on NASCAR in any way shape or form. Was it pehaps not in great taste, given the times? Sure. But an attack on racing? I don't think so. To a certain extent, I think the sport and its fans are too thin-skinned and help perpetuate the very stereotypes you are so annoyed about.
And, while I agree with you wholeheartedly that NASCAR and its fans really aren't anything like the images you mention, the fact remains that both the governing body itself and the broadcast media still use those very stereotypes to help 'sell' the sport -- Larry the Cable Guy? An over-reliance on 'country music?' A (I think) shameless patriotism that allows for nothing other than blind devotion to the good ol' US of A, love it or leave it.
I happen to think NASCAR, in contrast to most other sports, has a very difficult and delicate challenge in determining what its audience is and 'should' be. Is it rooted in the past (and to disagree slightly and politely, its heritage is tied to some of those unfortunate stereotypes) or is it or can it move into something different?