Kurt Busch Fans Will Have To Show ID For Merchandise

Diageo officials have “voluntarily decided to impose an age limit” of 21 for those looking to purchase Kurt Busch’s Smirnoff Ice and Crown Royal merchandise, and “all outerwear will come in adult sizes,” according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Diageo “also chose to attach Crown Royal and Smirnoff Ice diecast model cars to a base that will keep the wheels from moving, hoping to discourage children from playing with them.” Diageo Exec VP Guy Smith: “We don’t want people to misunderstand our intentions. We don’t want people to say, ‘They’re doing this so that they could get toys with their brand into the hands of little kids.’” Rovell added that Jim Beam, a Robby Gordon sponsor, will also make its diecast cars “in a larger scale size to try to keep kids from playing with them.” Additionally, Jack Daniels, a sponsor of Dave Blaney, plans to offer a model car and clothes sans the Jack Daniel’s logo. NASCAR Managing Dir of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston said, “It’s every team’s decision as to how they want to handle the sale of merchandise. Diageo has decided to do it this way, and they’re taking a leading role” (ESPN.com, 2/16).

BEING RESPONSIBLE: Tuesday night’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” aired part two of a five-part series on NASCAR, which examined liquor sponsorship that is new to the sport. NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France: “The groups that are participating are going to have 20% of the advertising and marketing going towards responsible drinking and that’s going to add up to a lot in the long run. ... These groups will see that there’s some benefit to a good responsible message” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 2/15).