Matchup draws some boos Some observers say that NASCAR has taken a wrong turn with liquor sponsorships   Diageo will sponsor the Nascar Crown Royal car in 2005. Kurt Busch, below, will drive it. Published: Dec 7, 2004 Modified: Dec 8, 2004 5:46 AM

By DAVID RANII, Staff Writer

Liquor ads and NASCAR. The combo seems as natural as rum and Coke.

But the sport that has roots in moonshine runs is being told that drinking and driving at 180 mph don't mix -- especially on national TV.

Last month, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing lifted its ban against liquor companies sponsoring racing teams, beginning in its 2005 season. Before you could say "I'll drink to that," the world's No. 1 liquor company, Diageo, reached an agreement with Roush Racing.

The deal calls for No. 97, the Ford driven by Kurt Busch, this year's Nextel Cup champion, to become a speeding billboard for Crown Royal whiskey. In addition, Busch will be a spokesman for Crown Royal.

Brewers and winemakers, as well as producers of malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver, have sponsored NASCAR for years. Still, the decision to give the same opportunity to the makers of distilled spirits, sometimes referred to as hard liquor, has raised the ire of groups such as the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Dr. J. Edward Hill, president-elect of the AMA, argues that pairing spirits with the "speed and excitement" of NASCAR glamorizes alcohol. He also objects to an organization that has been reaching out to youngsters -- including sponsorship of the All-American Soap Box Derby -- teaming up with the spirits industry.

"I'm a great fan of NASCAR racing," Hill says. "That makes this more difficult for me."

George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest says relying on the liquor companies to promote responsible alcohol consumption is like having Joe Camel deliver anti-smoking messages.

NASCAR officials, however, say that they have established guidelines requiring liquor industry sponsors to run responsible ad campaigns.

And Guy Smith, executive vice president at Diageo, stresses that 20 percent of Crown Royal ads will be devoted to exhorting consumers to "Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly."

"We take the responsibility about our product quite seriously," Smith says.

Still, Hacker says that by teaming up with NASCAR racing teams, the liquor companies "are accomplishing something through the back door they can't get through the front -- massive brand recognition on network TV."

Broadcast television networks don't accept liquor ads -- though more than 500 stations affiliated with the networks and some cable channels do. An attempt by NBC to begin carrying liquor ads in 2001 led to a public outcry and the threat of Congressional hearings. NBC reversed its decision.

NASCAR is willing to risk the controversy, because the expenses of racing teams are rising rapidly -- and they rely on sponsorships to underwrite those costs, said Max Muhleman, president of IMG/Muhleman Marketing, a Charlotte sports marketing firm.

A major racing team sponsorship -- the level necessary for the car to be known by the sponsor's brand name, such as the Crown Royal Ford -- can cost $10 million to $12 million or more per year, Muhleman says. And that's not all. Advertisers tend to spend at least as much on marketing to promote their sponsorship as they do on the sponsorship itself.

Muhleman expects other liquor companies to follow Crown Royal's lead because they have fewer alternatives than most advertisers, and because NASCAR delivers 75 million fans who are known for being brand-loyal. "That's what everybody is looking for -- a convertible investment, convertible into sales."

Not every group concerned with excessive alcohol consumption objects to NASCAR's new stance.

John Moulden, president of the nonprofit National Commission Against Drunk Driving, says having race car drivers who are role models spreading the word about responsible drinking could be effective.

Mothers Against Drug Driving meanwhile doesn't draw a distinction between liquor, beer and wine, said Cheryl Jones, an executive committee member of the North Carolina chapter of MADD as well as a vice president at the national level.

"Alcohol is alcohol. One will get you just as drunk as the other one will," Jones says. "The thing we are stressing is that they be responsible with their advertising. We can't stress that enough."

Indeed, Diageo's Smith complains critics such as the AMA haven't attacked NASCAR's longstanding relationship with the beer industry. "There isn't a lot of intellectual honesty here," he says.

Lisa Hawkins, spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council, cites NASCAR statistics indicating that 95 percent of those who attend NASCAR events, and 88 percent of those who watch NASCAR on TV, are 21 or older. "This is a completely appropriate venue for spirits advertising," she says.

But critics are hoping to bring so much pressure that NASCAR will back away from its partnership with the liquor industry.

"We haven't come out of the box yet," Hacker says. "Expect it."

Staff writer David Ranii can be reached at 829-4877 or davidr@newsobserver.com.