NASCAR Dads? How about Formula-D First Lady?
It won't do anything to bolster her "green" credentials, but the fact that Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, can hold her 240SX in a glorious sideways slide as long as you please strikes us not only as surprising, but, well, a little off the hook. It seems the McCain clan likes high-horsepower pastimes, be it trains, planes or automobiles, though the trains part might only be for whistlestop campaigns. A few years back, Cindy and son Jack were intrigued by drifting after catching television coverage of the sport. Rather than just look it up on Wikipedia, Cindy McCain -- who is an avowed lifelong gearhead -- headed to Japan, birthplace of drifting, to learn the practice from a sensei.
Mom and son Jack dove wholeheartedly into drifting, building a 240SX drift car and competing as a team in amateur competition. Motorsports and high-performance driving also played a restorative role when McCain was temporarily felled by a stroke. In an odd choice of physical therapy facilities, McCain was at Bob Bondurant's Executive Protection course a mere six weeks after the health event, rebuilding her skill. While the plot sounds like a treatment for "The Drifting Kid" or some other kind of Hollywood dreck, it's exciting to think that a first lady might be able to out-drive her Secret Service detail. Thanks for all the tips!
[Source: ESPN]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
C.W. 1:05PM (9/10/2008)
that is B.A.
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june 1:42AM (9/11/2008)
Did she get into Drifting before or after she stole drugs to support her drug habit?
C.W. 9:46AM (9/11/2008)
if you're concerned about HER drug use, then you must really be interested in Obama's since he of course is running for the President and isnt just married to someone who is...
like i have said before, if you read an article like this and try to contrive a reason to vote or not vote for someone then you are an idiot. ESPECIALLY when the person featured is not even running.
seniorbruno 4:46PM (9/11/2008)
Spousal Drifting Ability(SDA) sounds cool to me. I'm voting for the Redumblicans this time. I'm with you C.W.
Yar 1:05PM (9/10/2008)
That's friggin sweet.
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DesiAuto 3:25PM (9/10/2008)
Cindy McCain is always weirdly Hot. She is not only into drugs but also Drifting, that makes her even hotter.
Sexy.
On the other hand, McCain is boring. McCain couple comes across as very awkward couple. Almost feels like there is some secret between them.
In any case, John McCain is a compromised fellow, I used to respect him.
Todd 1:09PM (9/10/2008)
The fact that she's into drifting has nothing to do, whatsoever, with her husband's archaic positions on critical issues. Insulting to think that a fluff piece like this will some how cause me to see 114 year old John McCain in a different light.
It's disappointing that once fun, informative Auto Blog is now just another right-wing, "Let's bring back the 1950s" soap box for the RNC.
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C.W. 1:15PM (9/10/2008)
it cant just be a cool story about some info on a politician's wife that just so happens to be running for president? In a world of boring politics and phony do-gooder talk (like what we hear from d-bag Obama), we get to read something that is actually cool. The article has nothing to do with how you should vote... just a piece on how these political elitists can be into the same things we are in their personal lives.
Good story AB.
Victor 1:15PM (9/10/2008)
It's not political. It's just a news article linked from ESPN about the culture of cars. Surprisingly, I think that's what this blog is about.
s13hybrid 1:19PM (9/10/2008)
You are looking at it wrong. Think of it this way, she is a 50 something year old woman, that drifts. No matter your political beliefs, that is cool.
Seminole 1:19PM (9/10/2008)
Are you on crack?
They didn't mention anything about his politics! The only topic of the article is that Cindy McCain, who just happens to be the wife of someone running for president, built her own drift car. Considering she is in her 50's I think that is really badass.
So please, take your liberal bias and shoo off. Go read the Huffington post and jerk off to MSNBC or something. Leave us car lovers alone.
ricotubbs 1:22PM (9/10/2008)
Soap box? Sorry, but your opinions of John McCain have nothing to do with anything. I think this story probably appeals to most of us car folks regardless of political affiliation.
ej25run 1:26PM (9/10/2008)
you are a brain washed idiot. She has been doing this for years and years and yet you bring in politics. What a tool.
Anyways....
Go vote for Obama. It will make me feel better when he loses the election and i know people like you will be disappointed.
Joe K. 1:24PM (9/10/2008)
Todd,
Go whine for a fairness doctrine elsewhere. There was nothing pushing an agenda in this piece. And I highly doubt that a bunch of sports channel in Connecticut that spawned the career of Keith Olberman would be pushing a right-wing agenda... just saying...
Yar 1:33PM (9/10/2008)
It's ok Todd, calm down. I've got some soothing music for you, right up your alley, you'll calm right down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpKRd2xQeq8
why not the LS2LS7? 2:11PM (9/10/2008)
In order for me to think it were cool that a 50 year old drifted, I would have to think drifting were cool.
Graham 3:58PM (9/10/2008)
I'm not really sure that I care that Cindy McCain can drift a car. It certainly doesn't make me think any better of her kept husband. I'm glad to see she's spending her time making a difference in the country.
tekdemon 4:39PM (9/10/2008)
While I definitely think it's cool that she could just up and go to Japan to learn drifting, it's pretty uncool for people to start Obama bashing just because Todd started McCain bashing. Neither belongs on Autoblog.
Seriously, keep politics out of this and lead by example instead of taking every opportunity to turn these posts into political crap.
Anyways, she is weirdly hot with the drugs and the drifting and the beer, although the stroke is somewhat unfortunate for someone this young to have had.
P.V. 5:38PM (9/10/2008)
I support Obama, yet I think this is cool.
Red 1:17PM (9/10/2008)
I have a newfound respect for Cindy McCain.
Now if their daughter inherited the same love for motorsports...that's what I really wanna know about. I can't front, she's hotness.
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