Geography teacher needed on pit road
In this story left over from last week, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon chew on the bones of the Mexico race.
Newman wondered why NASCAR ventured into Mexico when there are more places still to go in the U.S. Said Newman: "The Pacific Northwest for sure. The upper Midwest, maybe North Dakota. And there's a lot of people in Montana."
Hmmm.
According to the U.S. Census estimate for 2003, Montana had about 918,000 residents. That's the equivalent of four Greensboros and change or slightly less than two Charlottes. And Mexico City? It has an extended metro population of nearly 22 million, making it the third largest city in the world.
Gordon, meanwhile, mulled the possibility of racing in Canada: "I'd love to see us in Canada. Staying in North America is extremely important."
Uh, Jeff? Just because Mexico is south of here doesn't mean it's not part of North America. (It is.)
Of course, the fact that Gordon is saying that it's important to stay in North America is stunning in its own right. Ten years ago -- heck, even today -- the debate was whether NASCAR would remain in the South.