Rusty Wallace hopes that if RJR leaves NASCAR, its successor supoorts NASCAR as well. Credit: Autostock
As told to Marty Smith, NASCAR.com
February 12, 2003
6:35 PM EST (2335 GMT)
I'll be perfectly honest, when I heard about R.J. Reynolds leaving I was absolutely shocked. I thought it was a joke, like 'You've got to be kidding me. That can't be true.' Well, then when I heard it could actually happen, I really started to think hard about it and can understand why.
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| NASCAR's top series may have a new name very soon. Credit: Autostock |
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The tobacco companies are really getting hit hard, and RJR has been supporting us for a long time and it's getting more and more expensive for them. Maybe they're thinking that things are getting so tight now, it's time to do something different.
I can understand that. If they go, I'd hate it. I'd hate to see them go because they've done so much for us -- and I'm talking way back.
When I first started racing these things, I'd go to tracks and be amazed that they were painted beautifully, all red and white. Real sharp. R.J. Reynolds would also go find the drivers that were down on their luck and low on money, and give them free helmets and free uniforms.
They'd always help out in all kinds of ways, not only with the tracks, either. They went out and hunted sponsors for a ton of drivers. I hope that whoever takes over for them will put the same effort into the sport that Winston has. They're very aggressive and have made a lot of people happy.
It's just a real shocker to me, man. I never thought I'd see them go. Then again, I never thought I'd see the day Union 76, as the official gasoline of NASCAR, would be gone, either. 50-something years, man.
Who'd have ever seen that one coming? I'd assume Mobil Oil will be the new gasoline company. Mobil's going to be the official oil of NASCAR, so I'd think they'll be the official gasoline, too.
These economic times have made it tough out there. It's expensive for fans to go to races and sponsors to back teams. When you see STP go away, Purolator, Union 76 and now R.J. Reynolds, it's crazy.
Everything's new. New faces, new drivers, new sponsors. And a lot of these companies are merging with different companies and being bought out, and that really affects it all, too.
But on the other hand, I'm sure there will be someone else waiting in the wings out there that'll want to come on that's not such a controversial sponsor with so many regulations. I feel like that's what NASCAR will do if R.J. Reynolds does leave.
They've said that off and on to different people. They've got a five-year contract. They don't have to leave. But I think the writing's on the wall and they're probably going to do it, maybe next year.
 | RUSTY WALLACE | | | | | | | |
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I think it's going to be some world-class company that everybody's heard of, because NASCAR's so powerful right now in its marketing appeal to sponsors, that I've got to believe that they just need to take a little time to hunt for the right guy. I'm sure they're all out there waiting.
It'll be way different, though, when the name Winston Cup goes away. Everybody always talks about the Cup cars, Cup and Busch cars. Who will it be now? Who knows. The possibilities are endless.
I'm really excited though, to see what cool name these innovative marketing gurus come up with. It's an awfully exciting time to be a part of NASCAR. Change is always exciting, but losing RJR would be awfully sad, too. They've been so good to us, and we'll always remember that.
Rusty's Rundown appears each Wednesday on NASCAR.com. For more info on Rusty Wallace, please visit his Web site at www.rustywallace.com.
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