There has been a new TV spot on FOX making the rounds for the Daytona 500, which is just under a month away, and normally we wouldn’t care at all. But the powers that be over at that network decided to use what I’m pretty sure is a cover of U2′s “Bad” in the commercial, which cause such an uproar that the LA Times music blog is writing about it.

Though Bono’s lyrics in “Bad” are vague and open to interpretation, it’s a song long believed to be about heroin addiction, making it feel a bit out of place in hyping the Feb. 14 race. It should be noted, of course, that it’s not the first time a rock ‘n’ roll tune about drug use has appeared in a commercial, as Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” more famously promoted a cruise line.

I judge the gravity of all world events by the LA Times music blog, for the record. But I’ve also seen facebook and Twitter messages popping off about it. All the NASCAR people probably hate U2, and vice versa, to which I say Holy crap, people. It’s just a song.And that little riff is kinda pretty. And then the ghost of Dale Earnhardt smiled at me, and it’s like we were both thinking the same thing: that his kid is the worst race car driver ever.

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