NASCAR went smoke free when Nextel took over as title sponsor of stock-car racing’s top series in 2004, after R.J. Reynolds dropped its sponsorship of the Winston Cup. In 2005, the sport will get its first quit-smoking product as a sponsor.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare will promote its Nicorette nicotine gum, NicoDerm CQ nicotine patches and Commit nicotine lozenges. And in addition to becoming the sport’s official quit-smoking product, its will also partner with Target Chip Ganassi Racing to help NASCAR fans and the general public learn how they can lead smoke-free lives.
The Nicorette brand will be an associate sponsor of the Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s No. 41 Target Dodge Charger, driven by Casey Mears, throughout the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. A special paint scheme featuring the newest GSK Consumer Healthcare product, Nicorette Fresh Mint, will run at the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20.
GSK Consumer Healthcare said it would activate the sponsorship with advertising and in-store promotions, as well as an informative and interactive exhibit at 23 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races in 2005.
At the exhibit, fans will receive free quit-smoking counseling, and will experience the speed and energy of NASCAR racing first-hand with a racing simulator. Visitors to the exhibit will also watch NASCAR moments on plasma screen televisions and can take their picture alongside the Nicorette Fresh Mint car.
Fans and their attempts to quit will also feature prominently in publicity efforts and on Quit.com, the quit-smoking brands’ web site.
News reports said that Nicorette had tried before to gain a NASCAR sponsorship but was not considered since it would have conflicted with the Winston sponsorship. GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Goody’s Headache Powder is currently the official pain reliever of NASCAR.
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