jetcloud

What's the connection between NASCAR racing, diminished mental
capacity, and increased criminal behavior? If your answer was
"lead," well, we commend your high-mindedness. Indeed, that is the
answer: Though leaded gasoline was phased out in the U.S. decades
ago, the racing industry (along with aviation) was exempted. Despite
years of pleas from the U.S. EPA, NASCAR has not developed an
alternative to leaded gas, which it says keeps engine valves
lubricated. "We just have not been able to find a solution," said
NASCAR spokesguy Ramsey Poston. Lead from auto exhaust can stay in
the air for up to 10 days and travel many miles. Those in the most
danger are children, for whom lead presents the threat of permanently
diminished mental capacity. Low-level lead exposure has also been
linked to criminal behavior. NASCAR is the fastest-growing "sport"
in America, with some 3.5 million spectators a year attending races.
(Look, we made it all the way through the blurb without saying "Bush"
or "red state"! Oh, oops.)