Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 10, 1995 TAG: 9506120060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LONG POND, PA. LENGTH: Medium
Threatened with a Justice Department lawsuit, Philip Morris agreed Tuesday to remove from stadiums and sports arenas any cigarette advertising that might appear on television broadcasts of football, basketball, baseball or hockey games.
There was no immediate threat to cigarette sponsorship of auto racing, but the way government officials were talking, something might eventually happen.
``There are other situations that we are carefully looking at,'' Frank W. Hunger, head of the Justice Department's civil division, said earlier this week.
``We don't know anything more than what we've seen in the papers,'' NASCAR vice president Mike Helton said Friday at Pocono International Raceway. ``It has the potential of happening. We'll have to wait and see what kinds of issues are brought up, if they're brought up.''
Helton said NASCAR has not been contacted by anyone with the Justice Department.
``We have not been contacted by the Justice Department, but we don't have any cigarette signage that would mirror the concerns expressed in this consent order,'' said T. Wayne Robertson, who is in charge of RJR's NASCAR sponsorship programs as head of the company's Sports Marketing Enterprises.
What he means is that the signs at NASCAR tracks, which often appear on television during race telecasts, say ``NASCAR Winston Cup Series,'' and thus are not cigarette advertisements.
And NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett added: ``We made our deal with RJR long before television became an intregal part of NASCAR racing,'' said Triplett. Winston has been the series sponsor since 1971, but NASCAR races weren't televised on a weekly basis until the mid-1980s, he said.
But critics of cigarette involvement in racing aren't buying those arguments.
Dr. Alan Blum, who was involved in the sponsorship of an anti-smoking Indy car several years ago, told reporters this week: ``You can sit down on Sunday and see Marlboro ads all day in racing and it's the same with NASCAR and Winston.''
``Anyone who is watching television can see what is there,'' Gene Thiroff, director of the Justice Department civil division's office of consumer ligitiation, said., told the Associated Press.
Sponsors, to be sure, have always considered television exposure one of the most important reasons they spend money in auto racing. And most sponsors in NASCAR, including RJR-Nabisco, keep track of precisely how much television exposure they receive.
The Sponsors Report, produced by a company based in Ann Arbor, Mich., carefully tabulates every second that sponsors get in front of the camera, ranging from track signs to car decals to hat logos.
PARROTT RESIGNS: When Steve Grissom left Dover last weekend, veteran NASCAR mechanic Buddy Parrott was his crew chief and team manager. But by the time Grissom arrived here Friday, Parrott was gone.
Parrott resigned suddenly Thursday after a business disagreement with car owner Gary Bechtel.
``It's an unfortunate deal, but that's racing,'' said Grissom. ``He put together a good bunch of guys.''
Grissom said he wasn't expecting the sudden change.
``No, I talked to him after Dover last Sunday,'' Grissom said. ``He usually doesn't come to the shop Monday and he wasn't there when I went by Monday. Then I heard about this Wednesday. ''
Parrott wasn't at the track Friday, but a statement released by the team quoted Brian Flynn, chief operating officer, as saying, ``In recent weeks, we made some changes in the management structure of our company and Buddy became uneasy with his new role. We concluded that parting company now, on friendly terms, is probably in both our best interests.''
Parrott came to the team because he was offered a share in ownership. But team spokeswoman Peggy Schrock said she did not know how that issue was resolved.
by CNB