Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``I'm really annoyed by this. It's another example of government trying to get in peoples' lives,'' said H.A. ``Humpy'' Wheeler, president and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which either owns or holds an interest in five major stock car tracks in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
Declaring nicotine an addictive drug, Clinton instructed the Food and Drug Administration to draft a series of regulations that would include a ban on brand-name cigarette advertising at sports events.
While five cigarette manufacturers immediately responded by filing a lawsuit against the FDA, the stock car community was left to ponder what life might be like without R.J. Reynolds.
``I think it would be devastating,'' said Jim Hunter, the president of Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. ``I don't even like to think about it, because I have a hard time. I don't think it's right. The races would go on, but I don't even want to talk about it. The more I talk about it, the more I get upset.''
The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds has been the main sponsor of NASCAR's Winston Cup series since 1970. The tobacco giant will not divulge the exact extent of its financial involvement on stock car racing's top circuit, but various sources have placed it in excess of $10 million annually.
Reynolds backs the yearly award fund, worth more than $4 million; it sponsors races such as the annual all-star event, the $1.1 million running of The Winston Select; it is the primary sponsor of the car driven by Jimmy Spencer; and it contributes to construction and sponsorship projects at virtually every track on the circuit.
In short, on a series that is enjoying record attendance, record purses and record television ratings, Reynolds and its familiar red and white Winston Cup series logo have become highly visible constants.
``I think that's part of this sport's heritage,'' said Hunter, a smoker who grew up harvesting tobacco in South Carolina. ``We believe in loyalty, and that may not be politically correct today.''
Clinton said the aim of his proposal was to keep smoking and chewing tobacco away from youths, an argument that was met with skepticism in the Southeast, where tobacco fields are a common sight on the way to many tracks.
Reynolds spokesman Nat Walker said Clinton's real intent ``is to attack the nation's 46 million adult smokers.''
Walker pointed to a survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control ``that showed the number of underage people who choose Winston as a product is almost nonexistent.'' The survey, which claims less than 2 percent of underage smokers use Winston brands, ``makes it clear that our sponsorship does not contribute to youth smoking in any significant way,'' Walker said.
Clinton's proposal also flies in the face of Reynolds marketing data showing that 97 percent of the people who attend Winston Cup races are age 18 or older.
``To disallow sponsorship of the NASCAR Winston Cup series on the basis of trying to combat underage smoking makes no sense,'' Walker said.
Wheeler, whose company owns tracks near Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., and is building one just outside Dallas, said Reynolds has been careful over the years to avoid the appearance of courting underage smokers.
Wheeler recalled that Charlotte Motor Speedway was thinking about doing a special promotion to mark the 12th anniversary of The Winston Select all-star race. The plans were canceled because of Reynolds' concerns about having the word Winston associated with the number 12 and its possible relation to 12-year-old children.
``They expressed concern that somebody might think they're going after kids just through the use of the number 12. That's how crazy it's gotten,'' Wheeler said. ``They're exercising a lot of prudence in their marketing of products. They're good corporate citizens.''
Wheeler, whose company also holds financial interests in tracks in North Wilkesboro, N.C., and Rockingham, N.C., said losing Reynolds as the circuit's main sponsor would be especially hard on the smaller tracks. Many of them depend on support from Reynolds to help make up for their relative lack of size and inability to generate as much revenue from ticket sales as the bigger tracks do.
``It's something that we would have to dig deep and try to resolve,'' Wheeler said. ``You don't find sponsors like that around the corner. A lot of people think they would be easy to replace. Trust me, they wouldn't.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB