Penske sponsorship for '04

[brightline]

Last night I was scanning an issue of autoweek before I threw it away (august 6th I believe), and there was a quote from Roger Penske about plans for 2004 saying that our drivers will be the same, de ferran and castroneves (which we know now is false), and the sponsors will be the same. This leads to my question:

How will Marlboro be able to sponsor Penske in 2004 with impending Tobacco legislation going into effect? Did he find a loophole somewhere that I don't know about, like running under Marlboro South America, or running the livery with no actual Marlboro writing on the cars? I thought after 2003 no Tobacco sponsorship period. The same reason Winston is pulling out of NASCAR.

Then again, Hollywood, a cigarette brand sponsored cars in both CART and IRL, when Penske couldn't in 2001. That was because Hollywood is not sold in the USA therefore not included in the one-brand, one-series rule (at least that is how I understood it). Any insight into this subject would be most appreciative because to be quite honest it has been bothering me since I read it last night. That, and I hate how Penske always finds a loophole.

[climb]

We have to consider that changing prime sponsors is not that easy, thus it's quite obvious that, before giving it up and lose that money, team bosses look for loopholes to keep, one way or another, present and certain sources, instead of looking for some new that may also not arrive!
Honestly, if I was Roger, i would do the same thing.
Maybe being Roger doing that, it may result particularly bothering, but regardless of him, it's a general principle of survivance, and , even I don't agree 100%, I understand it

[BootsOntheSide]

It'll be interesting to see the 2004 Penskes. I can't sum out how much I hate Roger, he's one of the msot disgraceful fgures in racing.

[racer69]

In the USA doesn't the tobacco legislation not come into effect until the end of 2006, unlike Canada which is the end of this year.

All Rogers quotes have been about Marlboro staying on board.

Even if they went, Penske wouldn't have any trouble finding a budget.

[rush1]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
It'll be interesting to see the 2004 Penskes. I can't sum out how much I hate Roger, he's one of the msot disgraceful fgures in racing.

Why is that?

[gttouring]

marlboro line of active wear perhaps?
and Penske is worth 10 billion a year from just UAG alone so he makes more than enough and can easily find sponsorship be it one of his own or keeping the paintscheme and calling it penske racing...

[GTRMagic]

Does Philip Morris still have interests outside the tobacco stream? They sold off part of their foods business, but there may be some other brand available.

Interestingly when Australia went thru the same tobacco law nightmare in 1996, Philip Morris locally established a "Pack Leader" brand and painted the cars in a similar yet distinctively different paint scheme to the previous efforts with a local "Peter Jackson" tobacco brand.

The awareness of the project, team and cars was high profile with Alan Jones, 1980 F1 Champ at the wheel....

Died after one season though....

This remains an option...

[Snrub]

Johnson & Johnson is a PM subsidiary. I believe they have some other health related brand. Tobacco companies started to realize with all these health care costs and health related law suits, they needed a cut of the action.

I can't imagine Penske not having sponsorship. It's a difficult market right now, but if there was only one team in the field with sponsorship, it would be Penske.

[GTRMagic]

I went wandering around the Altria website, and all the Philip Morris brands it talks about are the ciggies, the Kraft Food unit and part of the Miller beer business they seem to be trying to get rid of....