A battle of the sexes is tilting

NASCAR may have hit the mother lode of fan interest. Long perceived as a sport popular only among those with crimson napes and gun racks on their pickups, NASCAR is a hit with a key demographic: women.

Surveys say that more than 40% of fans are women.

Ruth Crowley, who runs Motorsports Authentics, which sells race-related merchandise, told CBS: “The future is bright any time there’s females.... And the amount of females at track is growing at NASCAR.”

The appeal is understandable. The sport confirms what women have long known: Men just go in circles and never, ever, stop to ask for directions.

Of course, Crowley said, “I think women like the sport of racing because it’s fast. There’s this element of danger.”

Let’s see: cars, women, element of danger? Sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song.

Trivia time

Who was the first female NASCAR driver?

Give ‘em beefcake

There is a mechanic-like interest women have for NASCAR: “I have women come up to me all the time and start talking about gears and tires and sway bars and springs,” driver Mike Skinner said. “I’m like, ‘How the heck do you know about that stuff?’ ”

But there remains a more basic interest as well: “It doesn’t hurt that the drivers are all cute as well, and they look great in their fire suits,” Crowley said.

Or as Skinner puts it, “It’s not just the good ‘ole tobacco-chewing, whiskey-running farmers that’s racing these cars anymore.” No data yet on whether the sport’s tobacco-chewing, whiskey-running, farming demographic is on the decline.

Junk bonds dealers

Some lucky fan probably won’t care how Barry Bonds managed to hit all those home runs after an auction house in Dallas ponied up a big reward for the ball that breaks Hank Aaron’s record.

“We invite the lucky owner who delivers this historic baseball, as verified by Major League Baseball, to redeem it for a $1-million bounty ... within 15 days of the record-breaking homer,” Chris Ivy, director of Sports Auctions for Heritage Auction Galleries, announced Sunday.

The baseball isn’t expected to depreciate even with an asterisk.

A new hero?

Armond Budish, a representative in Ohio, presented convincing evidence that a state bill to better regulate strip clubs went too far. According to the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Budish -- using photographic evidence -- asked his fellow committee members, “How would this law not apply to the Cleveland [Cavaliers] dance team?”

Promises were made to change the bill “so it does not cover the Cleveland Cavs dance team.”

Ah, save the cheerleader, save the world.

Captain’s mono-log

The Stanley Cup got a guest shot on “Boston Legal” -- Bruins fans will note it’s the first time anyone in Boston has had a day with the Cup since 1972 -- and that led to a soliloquy by Canadian William Shatner.

Denny Crane, Shatner’s character, told a colleague, “It’s the holy grail, man. Gordie Howe drank from this Cup. Rocket Richard. Basil Pocklington. We can say we drank from Lord Stanley’s Cup.”

Got news for ya, Bill, Eddie Olczyk’s racehorse had its nose in it too.

Trivia answer

Sara Christian, at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949.

And finally

Chris Drury, on his Buffalo Sabres’ being down 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators, “We could curl up and cry about it and go home. Or we could fight like dogs.” Turns out Drury’s bite was far worse than his bark: He scored a goal in the 3-2 victory.

chris.foster@latimes.com