As NASCAR is expected to announce today "what, if any,
action will be taken concerning a possible illegal part on
the car Jeff Gordon drove to victory" in Saturday night's
Winston Cup Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond Int'l
Raceway, "a million bucks hangs in the balance," according
to USA TODAY's Skip Wood. Dale Earnhardt, who finished
second, was one of five drivers paired with a fan eligible
to win $1M as part of R.J. Reynolds' (RJR) No Bull 5 promo.
RJR Manager of Media Relations Denny Darnell said that
"should NASCAR take the highly unlikely step of stripping
Gordon of the win and award it to Earnhardt," Earnhardt and
his No Bull fan "would get the cash." Darnell: "Our contest
is based on the results, and NASCAR determines the official
order of finish. If the official order of finish changes,
we will do what is appropriate based on the finishing order"
(USA TODAY, 9/12). Sharon Robertson, the fan paired with
Earnhardt, said that "she would not make a decision about
what action she might take, if any, until NASCAR announces
its ruling." Robertson: "I have no problem with NASCAR or
[RJR] at all. They couldn't have done any more for us. ...
These things happen, but I am extremely disappointed the
[Gordon] team would do this in this event." In Charlotte,
David Poole reports Robertson "might or might not have a
legal leg to stand on" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/12).
CLEAN RIDE: BRANDWEEK's Christine Bittar reports that
Dial will run an on-pack promo for its Purex detergent brand
with the IRL Northern Light Series "to reach car racing
enthusiasts -- an unusual demographic not typically sought
after by detergent manufacturers." Through February, Purex
packaging will feature an offer for a free die-cast IRL car,
as well as the chance to win a trip to next year's Indy 500.
Additionally, a September 17 FSI will support the effort.
Purex has sponsored the IRL's No. 24 car with driver Robbie
Buhl since the start of the season (BRANDWEEK, 9/11 issue).
