A debate about decals in NASCAR's Winston Cup racing will
likely continue for the "next few weeks, maybe even months,"
according to the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. On Friday, Bobby Hamilton
won the pole for the Miller 400 at the Michigan Int'l Speedway in
a car fielded by Petty Enterprises. The car carries many
corporate decals, including Winston, Unocal, Goodyear and STP,
but not one for Busch Beer. Therefore, under the rules of
contingency money established by NASCAR and the circuit's major
sponsors, Hamilton and Petty were ineligible for the $5,000 that
Busch awards pole winners. This also means they did not qualify
for the Busch Clash at Daytona Int'l Speedway in February. The
Clash is a special event featuring pole winners from the previous
Winston Cup season. There's a minimum purse of $10,000 for
starting, and the race affords sponsors "valuable" TV exposure.
Car owner Richard Petty commented on why he doesn't carry the
Busch decal: "Obviously, we're not very noted for sitting on
poles. I figure if I put a Busch sticker on the car that takes
space away from some other company I could make money off of. ...
Why should I carry a sticker from a company I'm really not doing
business with?" Petty says he has an understanding with Busch
officials about the decal issue, where once the Petty team wins a
pole, they'd "go along with the program." NASCAR spokesperson
Kevin Triplett said the Busch Clash is a "deal between the
brewery and Daytona," adding, "We simply officiate the race."
Triplett and Petty both "conceded" other teams wouldn't support
the decal rule being waived for the Petty team (Tom Higgins,
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/23).
SPONSOR RE-UP: Delta Faucet, a long-time sponsor of Indy
500 champion Buddy Lazier's Hemelgarn Racing team, has announced
a three-year extension starting with the True Value 200 August 18
at Loudon, NH (Hemelgarn Racing).
