If President Clinton's proposed FDA restrictions on tobacco
marketing are "fully realized," the racing world could be left
"scrambling" to replace the estimated $250M a year that tobacco
companies spend on American motorsports, according to Joseph
Siano of the N.Y. TIMES. President Clinton's announcement was
"enough to make the racing establishment feel jitters similar to
nicotine withdrawal." At the sport's "highest levels,"
substitute sponsors could probably be found. Anheuser-Busch and
McDonald's are "rumored to be ready and willing replacements" for
Winston, but "less successful" teams that rely on tobacco money
"might find themselves in a bind." And the "biggest hit" may
come at small tracks which would have to pay smaller purses or
charge higher prices (N.Y. TIMES, 8/29). NASCAR spokesperson
Kevin Triplett: "We're going to leave it [proposed regulations]
in the courts and just let the litigation that the tobacco
companies have enacted go ahead. We'll operate business as usual
until we hear what the alternative is" (Mike Dame, ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 8/29).
