NHRA Events May Lose Winston as Sponsor

The National Hot Rod Assn. started its 50th anniversary season with the Auto Zone Winternationals Sunday, but it may be the last with Winston as its sponsor.

For 27 years the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. brand of cigarette has been the title name for the drag racing series. Under terms of the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, relating to tobacco advertising, each tobacco company will be permitted only one series or event using a brand name starting in 2002.

R.J. Reynolds now sponsors series in NASCAR, notably Winston Cup, as well as NHRA, and also holds a Senior PGA Vantage golf tournament.

Consensus in the industry is that the Winston brand will remain with its highly successful NASCAR program, which it has sponsored since 1971.

In that event, the NHRA series will probably become “RJR Drag Racing” because the tobacco companies are permitted to use their own name in any or all series they choose. The Vantage golf tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., home of RJR, is expected to become the RJR Championship.

“There is no time frame, as long as it occurs before the 2002 seasons start,” said Denny Darnell, Winston media relations director.

Tom Compton, NHRA president, said: “Winston has been a great partner for us, and you can be assured that whatever choice they make, RJR will certainly be involved with the NHRA in some way. We know we may have to survive without Winston as a major sponsor, but we have a number of other exciting possibilities.”

Since 1971, the Winston involvement has increased from $100,000 to $2.3 million.