Daytona Times: Meek making pit stop at Speedway; Wallace to promote campaign
BY JAMES HARPER
DAYTONA TIMES
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek has been pretty busy this past month, considering a high percentage of the people in his South Florida district are of Haitian descent.
Meek, who is hoping to be the first Black United States senator from Florida, will be in Daytona Beach this weekend at the Daytona Beach International Speedway.
In an interview this week with the Daytona Times, he talked about his Daytona trip along with the impact of the Haiti earthquake.
"I have traveled to Haiti more than 15 times, often during moments of crisis or national emergency, but I have never seen destruction and displacement on this scale," Meek said. He was referring to the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the country and killed at least 200,000 people
"At the same time, the resilience of the Haitian people and the heroism of local and international first responders inspire us all,’’ he added.
Meek calls himself longtime NASCAR fan
On Saturday, Meek will focus his attention for a brief while on NASCAR. Meek will be the lead sponsor of Mike Wallace’s car at the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at the Daytona International Speedway.
Wallace’s No. 01 will be driving a car emblazoned with the "Kendrick Meek for U.S. Senate" logo.
"NASCAR has deep roots in Florida, and the NASCAR family is hurting right now, as are Florida families," Meek said, in explaining why he chose a racecar to help advertise his campaign.
Meeks considers himself the front-runner for the Democratic nomination and says he has been a longtime NASCAR supporter. He and his family plan to be on the pit road during the race.
Logos could have cost up to $50,000
According to information obtained by the Daytona Times, Meek might have paid between $25,000 and $50,000 to have his logo on Wallace’s car because of his ranking.
Drivers ranked higher than Wallace could command between $100,000 to $120,000 for the one-race paint scheme.
The Miami native is seeking the seat vacated by Republican Mel Martinez.
"I’m running for the Senate to get Florida’s economy working again for the NASCAR nation and all families throughout this state," said Meek.
"I’ve traveled up and down the state many times over the past year. I keep a busy campaign schedule but still have maintained a 98 percent voting record this session," he continued.
Meek: Floridians’ struggles motivate me
"There are definitely sacrifices a person has to make to serve, but Floridians are making sacrifices in this economy, ones they didn’t choose for themselves. It is their struggle that motivates me. There is so much to be done to get our state’s economy moving again," elaborated Meek.
Republicans seeking the seat include Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio. Crist appointed George LeMieux to fill the remainder of Martinez’ term.
Meek is giving up his Miami-based House seat, which includes part of South Broward, to seek the Democratic Senate nomination in the August primary.