Associated Press

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The campaign is spending $10,000 to put the Democrat's name on the No. 23 Chevrolet set to be driven by Brad Keselowski in the Dollar General 300, Shuler's spokesman Andrew Whalen said Monday.

"It's an opportunity to reach out to voters in a different way," Whalen said. "Heath and the rest of the campaign staff are big NASCAR fans, so we're excited about this."

The car is owned by Keith Coleman Racing. According to the team's Web site, it had planned to auction car sponsorships for the race on the Internet auction site eBay.

Shuler, who starred in college at Tennessee before playing in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints, is campaigning to unseat eight-term Republican Rep. Charles Taylor in a mountainous district that covers the western tip of North Carolina.

The moderate Democrat, who supports gun rights and opposes abortion, hopes to appeal to "NASCAR Dads" - conservative white males - who were deemed key voters in the 2004 presidential campaign.

Using NASCAR for political advertising isn't a new idea.

Before the 2004 Democratic primaries, Florida Sen. Bob Graham sponsored a Ford that raced in NASCAR's truck series. Last year, Virginia gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore sponsored a car for the fall Nextel Cup race at Martinsville, Va.