After breaking with the industry in 2010, the series announced a new official sponsorship with a nicotine brand — which is not about cigarettes, however
NASCAR has made official the return of the tobacco industry to its portfolio of main sponsors, ending an institutional hiatus that had lasted since 2010. The series announced Grizzly Nicotine Pouches as its “Official Partner”, granting the brand the naming rights of all camps belonging to the racetracks on the calendar.
The move marks a significant change in the organization’s policy. For decades, the series was synonymous with tobacco through the Winston Cup Series, but broke ties following a global trend of public health and advertising restrictions, similar to the move made by the FIA in Formula 1 in the 2000s.
SEE ALSO:
The return, however, comes with a new look. Instead of combustible cigarettes or traditional chewing tobacco, the focus is now on nicotine sachets and “smokeless” products. The partnership with Grizzly — a brand of the giant Reynolds American — consolidates a rapprochement that was already taking place on the tracks: the company recently sponsored Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro and driver AJ Allmendinger.
Grizzly is not alone in this onslaught. Zone, owned by ITG Brands, maintains a strong presence in the category by sponsoring two-time champion Kyle Busch, with a contract renewed until 2026. In addition to the display on the bodywork, the brand carries out aggressive marketing activations at the racetracks aimed at people over 21 years old.
Experts point out that this is not nostalgia, but market survival: the big smokers, such as Reynolds and ITG, use motorsport to legitimize new products in front of an audience that has grown old following the old Winston Cup, while trying to capture a younger audience.
The tactic mirrors what happens in Formula 1, where corporations such as Philip Morris (through the “Mission Winnow” initiative) maintain their influence in the paddock, circumventing restrictive legislation with subliminal logos and speeches focused on technology and innovation, keeping tobacco capital turning the engines of motor sport.
