When asked over the weekend if he follows NASCAR, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney responded in a way that only Mitt Romney can: “Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners."

Some of these friends may have contributed to Romney’s presidential campaign this cycle, according to our analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics.*

• JD Gibbs, the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, donated $500 to Romney’s campaign in September 2011.
• Richard Childress, the owner of Richard Childress Racing, handed over a $2,500 check to Romney’s campaign last June.
• Andrew Murstein’s financial firm, Medallion Financial, has part-ownership in Richard Petty Motorsports. He donated $250 to the Romney campaign in November 2011.
• In October, the Romney campaign received $1,000 from Walter Czarnecki, the executive vice president of the Penske Corporation, the parent company of Penske Racing.

*While there are three NASCAR series--The Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Trucks--only those in the Sprint Cup, the top NASCAR series, were looked at for this analysis.