NASCAR was hoping that the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday would be grabbing headlines for the racing on the track...not for what happened during the pre-race ceremony.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the Vice-President, were at the race serving at honorary Grand Marshalls as part of their effort to garner support for the "Joining Forces" initiative to support military families. The legislation was signed by President Obama today to boost veteran employment.
As they were being introduced to the crowd (and consequently the home television audience) to give the "Start Your Engines" command...the television microphones picked up a healthy round of "boos" from the crowd as seen in the video above.
The controversy over the less-than-warm welcome blew up across the internet as several news outlets and blogs replayed the video and commented on the apparent snub.
NASCAR says the boos come with the territory.
"It didn't strike our attention at all until we started seeing clips and some overinflated blogs," David Higdon, a NASCAR spokesman, said in an interview.
He said that often before races when dignitaries are announced, they get "rounds of applause and sometimes a smattering of boos."
"It could be anyone from the first lady to a notable athlete or celebrity. There was nothing abnormal," he said. "We're disappointed that it got overblown ... but that's the political climate that we're in."
Do you think the fans were right in snubbing the first lady with boos? Or is it just part of the territory when you go out in front of such a large crowd?
