Vice-presidential candidate JD Vance got a warm welcome this weekend when he arrived at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.
Vance was introduced at the pre-race drivers' meeting, and was spotted on the grid talking to Kyle Busch and Richard Childress before the green flag dropped on the Roval race.
Childress, a supporter of the Trump/Vance presidential bid this fall, talked about meeting the Ohio senator to 'Fox & Friends First' co-host Carley Shimkus, mentioning the controversial politician's excitement at the event.
"It was great," he said. "Everyone was just cheering him and everyone wanted to get close, get pictures, see him, shake his hand, holler and tell him what a great job [he's doing], and how they're looking forward to having him as our next vice president.
"It was a great day to have Senator Vance [and] his family there and really just to see how excited he was to be around the fans and [take] pictures, everything. He was just right in there with them."
Vance, who called Trump an 'idiot', and 'reprehensible' when the Apprentice star first ran for president in 2016, has become a steadfast ally of the Republican pick for the presidency.
His repeated lies about Haitian immigrants 'eating pets' in Springfield, Ohio drew international criticism last month, although he was broadly praised for a more subdued and charismatic performance in a recent vice-presidential debate against Tim Walz.
Vance and Trump have a good amount of support within the NASCAR world, with former NASCAR Cup Series driver and media personality Danica Patrick confirming that she plans to vote for the Vance/Trump ticket this fall.