@tmc-chase8 years ago
A press release was isssued in mid-April 1981 indicating Miller High Life beer would become the title sponsor of NASCAR's late model sportsman series. Bill France Jr. hit the roof. Not only was the release not accurate, it likely put him in a bind on two fronts.
His team was in the process of finalizing a deal for ANHEUSER-BUSCH's Budweiser brand to become the title sponsor of the LMS division beginning in 1982.
Miller was owned by Phillip Morris who also owned Marlboro cigarettes - a direct competitor to R.J. Reynolds' Winston brand.
@tmc-chase8 years ago
A couple of days later, Humpy Wheeler from Charlotte Motor Speedway had to release a mea culpa for issuing the errant press release. My guess is Bruton wanted to scoop France based on info he thought he had learned. Instead, he likely got bad info about which beer brand was to sponsor the series. As a result, Humpy became the fall guy...again. But all that is just speculation on my part.
@dave-fulton8 years ago
I did not remember this. Very interesting. When the new Richmond track opened in 1988, the RJR/Winston V.I.P. suite was sandwiched between the suite of Richmond based Philip Morris and the Miller Brewing suite. I happened to be working in a summer intern program between my junior and senior year of college studying programming at Philip Morris' computer operations center when they purchased Miller in summer 1969. On the Friday of Labor Day weekend, all operations center employees who wanted them were given two cases of Miller Beer. Being only age 20, I was not eligible.
A press release was isssued in mid-April 1981 indicating Miller High Life beer would become the title sponsor of NASCAR's late model sportsman series. Bill France Jr. hit the roof. Not only was the release not accurate, it likely put him in a bind on two fronts.
A couple of days later, Humpy Wheeler from Charlotte Motor Speedway had to release a mea culpa for issuing the errant press release. My guess is Bruton wanted to scoop France based on info he thought he had learned. Instead, he likely got bad info about which beer brand was to sponsor the series. As a result, Humpy became the fall guy...again. But all that is just speculation on my part.
I did not remember this. Very interesting. When the new Richmond track opened in 1988, the RJR/Winston V.I.P. suite was sandwiched between the suite of Richmond based Philip Morris and the Miller Brewing suite. I happened to be working in a summer intern program between my junior and senior year of college studying programming at Philip Morris' computer operations center when they purchased Miller in summer 1969. On the Friday of Labor Day weekend, all operations center employees who wanted them were given two cases of Miller Beer. Being only age 20, I was not eligible.