Is Jeff Gordon Fer it? Agin it? or Whichever Way the Money $$$ Blows?

Let me say right up front that I have no ax to grind with Jeff Gordon. I no longer call him Wonder Boy or laugh like I used to at the itty bitty little ole mustache he tried to grow when driving the Baby Ruth Busch Series Ford for Bill Davis.

But I did think about his on again / off again history of supporting smoking products on the one hand and smoking cessation products on the other today.

Why you might ask would I bring this up? Well, when I paid for gas today at a local convenience store I noticed a display of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart Bic cigarette lighters on the counter. Since I stopped smoking 5 years ago, I don't usually pay too much attention. But 5 years ago was the same time Jeff was endorsing Nicorette gum and driving the Nicorette stop smoking Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports.

We all know that Jeff is a 4-time Winston Cup Champion who used to have no problem taking money from the coffers of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. In fact it was rumored that it was Winston money that paid for first wife, Brooke's chest redevelopment job back in the day. The Circle Track Magazine photo below shows everybody willing to take the big Winston Cigarette bucks.

In 2008, Jeff began to do television ads for the Nicorette smoking cessation product and run a Nicorette sponsored car such as the one seen below in a Wikimediacommons photo taken at the Richmond track in September 2008:

The following year, 2009, Bic made its announcement that Jeff's likeness would appear on Bic lighters - which are most commonly used to light up the cigarettes Jeff had tried to get us to stop using the year before.

BIC Expands with NASCAR
Posted on April 1, 2009

BIC Lighter has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Jeff Gordon , to create another popular line of licensed lighter wraps. The lighters feature four bold new designs featuring Gordon, the iconic #24, and his new car for 2009. Gordon will join Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Pro Series NASCAR Drivers 50 count tray, which will be available at convenience stores and gas stations this month, said Adam Blumenthal, brand manager of pocket lighter marketing, BIC Consumer Products USA. The lighters carry a suggested retail price of $1.69 per lighter.

I know that Bill Elliott and others have driven for multiple beer brands, but Jeff's actions seem a little different to me. I also know that these days he's more focused on stopping hunger than stopping smoking or promoting smoking.

However, when my late promoter friend, Paul Sawyer characterized many drivers as "Whores With Helmets" - I suspect this was the kind of deal he was thinking of.

Anyway, I can't figure when it comes to smoking if Jeff is fer it or agin it.

I know that a lot of fans support the sponsors on their favorite driver's cars (or claim to). But things like this are the reason that I've never jumped on that bandwagon. I remember Bobby Allison coming up North to road race Porsches with EZ-Wider rolling paper as the sponsor. He probably wouldn't have dared to run that scheme in NASCAR even if Bill France allowed it. I always chuckle when the sport that was founded on moonshine tries to restrict hard liquor sponsorship. Or when they ban smoking at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in a state that survived on tobacco money, in a sport that based the majority of their success on tobacco money.

Many of the anti-smoking brigade are self-righteous and self-involved. There aren't enough smokers left to make the campaign worthwhile, and those folks are going to get antsy for another target. Anybody who's more than ten pounds overweight should take a look over their shoulder once in a while. It started with super-size soft drinks, but it won't stop there. Then there are the environmental people who are up in arms over the amount of corn, water and land it takes to raise a pound of beef; they want their place in the spotlight too.

I'll have to look over both shoulders, Andy. I wish it were just 10 lbs overweight!

Dave, I think the answer is the same as when my daughter is asked at Cracker Barrel, "Do you want biscuits or cornbread?". She always says "Yes".

I can relate to your daughter's answer, Dennis!

Makes me wonder whether he drinks Pepsi or Coke at home. Just wonderin! I for one get tired of seeing todays drivers hold a Coke while being interviewed. One sip and the cap goes back on. Money comes first today. Good observation Mr. Fulton.....

It's so stupid. Do they think we don't notice that he's not really drinking the soda? For a time Coca-Cola used opaque bottles in Victory Lane. I always figured that they were filled with water. Beer cans too, although Keselowski definitely had the real stuff.

The driver dance has become so routine and lacking in sincerity that I doubt it does anyone any good. I think there would be more respect for the sport if they cut back on the constant advertising by drivers and broadcast crew. There are logos all over the cars and uniforms, we've received the message long ago.

When the wife wants to paint the living room, do you really think that some guy can steer her to a different color because Sherwin-Williams (official sponsor of NASCAR) doesn't make that shade?