June 2, 2010(USA TODAY) -- Once an economic engine whose marketing dollars blazed a trail for much of the sport's expansion, the era of tobacco sponsorship in NASCAR will be extinguished quietly this month.
New rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration will prevent cigarette and smokeless tobacco sponsorships in sporting events as of June 22. R.J. Reynolds pumped hundreds of millions into NASCAR's premier series during a 31-year run as title sponsor with its Winston brand, but tobacco sponsorship shrunk after RJR's 2003 departure.
Two teams backed by smokeless tobacco will be affected: the Longhorn-sponsored truck of Kevin Harvick Inc. and the Nationwide Series car of Baker-Curb Racing backed by Red Man. Harvick says his truck will run the rest of the season (and has found second-half sponsorship).
The future is less certain for Baker-Curb's No. 27 Ford, which is eighth in points (with Greg Biffle starting 10 of its 12 races) and has two more races with Red Man. Team co-owner Gary Baker says the company considered staying with the team by using the same paint scheme without its logos but worried it would bring government scrutiny.
Baker says the team is in a mad scramble for funding. "It's a Herculean task," he says. "I've been in the business side of racing since the 1970s, and it's never been this brutal. That's not an indictment of NASCAR; it's still the best return on investment when properly done."
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