My thoughts on the matter:
1. I've lived in San Franciso, Chicago, and some suburban areas in CA and IL to boot. Anti-gun-rights zealots are largely from urban areas. Having lived among that type of crowd, let me tell you, even having some of them as co-workers or friends..., um, yea. They have a MAJOR disdain for all things rural, or even suburbia. Their elitist mindset makes them believe that they truly are better than those backwater hicks that enjoy NASCAR, guns and drink beer instead of wine coolers. Until you've interacted with them on a daily basis, you really have no idea just how hate-filled some of these people really are. Tyrannically so, if you ask me. Case in point: Obama. Is there nothing about how that man talks, walks or even looks at other people like he isn't some type of god on earth who was sent here to rule the great unwashed masses?
2. I can't stand NASCAR, and it isn't a 'sport' in my book. A sport involves exercise to me. Also, going around in circles just bores me to tears. Give me rally racing or something with a bit of excitement. Nonetheless, I acknowledge that a large portion of middle-America loves NASCAR, so more power to them. It harms nobody, even if I think it is just plain silly. I much rather have a NASCAR neighbor who once he's done watching big boys go around in circles on the track, stop by my house and we can go out to the range together, compared to having some liberal elitist snob for a neighbor report me to the police because they saw me cleaning my handgun through the kitchen window.
3. NRA is smart in sponsoring NASCAR even I don't like the sport. It baited the anti-gun loonies into trying overt censorship. Sometimes these folks are their own worst enemies. If they were a bit more subtle, they'd be far more dangerous. Heck, I really don't like NASCAR, but as an act of defiance to these anti-freedom moonbats, I might watch a lap or two!
4. The NRA should continue to go on the offensive and spend as much money as they can take in to keep expanding their cultural reach. Training courses are good. Those new news videos are good that were linked to in another thread documenting in high-production value clips the anti-freedom agenda. Also, being more involved in things such as NASCAR allows the NRA not to just be "that organization that controls Washington" as it is so often painted by the MSM. The NRA needs to be increasingly a cultural force outside of its base, and to their credit, I think they're doing quite well at that.
5. I just signed up as a completely new Life Member of the NRA this last month. The $1000 I gave them was easily worth the smile on my face when I saw this: