Update: The House voted against the amendment.

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn) has reportedly submitted an amendment to the 2011 House budget bill (one of about 400) that would ban the military from sponsoring NASCAR drivers.

The National Guard sponsors Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team, the Army sponsors Ryan Newman, and the Air Force sponsors AJ Allmendinger, according to HamptonRoads.com.

“I would challenge the Pentagon to give me one example of someone today in Iraq or Afghanistan who saw the Go Army car going around the racetrack and that’s why they joined the Army,” Bill Harper, McCollum’s chief of staff, told HamptonRoads.com. “It may be the reason why they go to Home Depot but not necessarily Afghanistan.”

(The interesting contrast in budget cuts but continued recruiting sponsorships was previously noted.)  The amendment addresses only NASCAR, despite the fact the military sponsors cars in other events, and it conducts flyovers of virtually every form of public event, including NASCAR.

Virtually every military ‘public affairs’ program has undergone similar criticism over the years, including the Air Force Thunderbirds, Navy Blue Angels, Army Black Knights, the Air Force Tops in Blue, and even the military Academy football teams.  The timing of this issue is interesting, given the season-opening Daytona 500 is this weekend — and National Guard-sponsored Dale Earnhardt, Jr. crashed in practice and will now start at the back of the pack.

Of course, in this case, if the Representative was successful, Michael Weinstein would likely take credit for the military ending the practice.  A representative of his MRFF once called for the military to stop its NASCAR sponsorships because they are “offensive.”  Why?  NASCAR is “a bulwark of the ‘America as a Christian Nation’ crowd.”  (They didn’t take issue with the Native American spiritualism in NASCAR, though.)

The fact the Congresswoman’s call has nothing to do with religion (or him) wouldn’t deter Weinstein, as it hasn’t in the past.  Weinstein once took credit for closing a US Air Force fighter squadron, despite the fact the squadron was BRAC’d before his organization existed or his crusade against Christianity had begun.