"One of my favorite sports": When the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter confessed his love for NASCAR

NASCAR has been around for nearly 75 years. Since its inception in 1948, the sport has gathered a plethora of attention and fame for its cut-throat level of competition while perfectly redesigning stock cars that the general public uses day-to-day.

This fascination piqued the interest of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, whose presence was witnessed in several NASCAR events in Atlanta.

Jimmy Carter, who was also the Governor of Georgia and turned 100 years old on October 1, was in the running for President in the 1976 US Presidential election. While there was little belief in his takeover of the White House, President Jimmy Carter won the election and became the 39th President of the USA.

While running for president, the former governor of Georgia shed light on his feelings for NASCAR. A post on X (formerly Twitter) shared a video of President Jimmy Carter's interview from the 1976 Atlanta 500 Cup Series race at Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway).

"I'm really proud to be back here, been one of my favorite sports of my life. My wife and I have been racing fans for more than 25 years. Just to see this sport develop into a worldwide effort, where the racecar drivers are becoming worldwide heroes is really thrilling to me," former President Carter said [00:38].

Former President Jimmy Carter waved the green flag in the 6th race of the season in Atlanta. Following the start of the race, he said:

"I'm very glad to see the Atlanta Raceway recuperate from those first long numbers of years of too much rain. This is the kind of race day that's exciting for fans all over the world, and I'm very proud to be here. At the time I was governor I tried to come out here you know, but today is the first time that I have the green flag in my hand when the race started, and that's [a] very exciting thing too."

After assuming his role as POTUS, the former president invited the drivers and other prominent figures of American stock car racing to the White House for dinner on September 13, 1978.

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NASCAR's visit to the White House in September 1978

Former President Jimmy Carter followed through with his campaign promise to invite NASCAR drivers and prominent figures of the sport to the White House once he got elected as president.

The First Lady hosted a dinner and waved the green flag as NASCAR representatives arrived at the White House. The event, held on the South Lawn, featured a performance by singer and guitarist Willie Nelson.

However, while members of the sport grooved in the White House, President Jimmy Carter was not in attendance as he was negotiating a Middle East peace agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at Camp David.

Former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have also invited NASCAR drivers to the White House, appreciating the tenacity and grit of a motorsports athlete.