The Final Champ Of The Winston Cup Era Was Controversial

The 2003 Ford 500 NASCAR Cup race at Homestead Miami has a place in stock car racing history for two reasons: It was the last race of the noteworthy Winston Cup era that began in 1971. And it was where a young Matt Kenseth won his first, but also the last, official Winston Cup championship — and became the center of controversy over how he won it.

How R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and its Winston brand of cigarettes became part of NASCAR is the stuff of lore. It’s also a story with which I think you are very familiar.

In 1971, legendary team owner Junior Johnson, one of NASCAR’s first inductees into its Hall of Fame, was at a crossroads. Already a successful team owner, he determined that he couldn’t continue unless he spent his own money — something he decidedly did not want to do. So, he arranged a meeting with R.J. Reynolds, located in Winston-Salem, N.C., just about an hour from his shops in Ronda.

Johnson proposed that RJR sponsor his team. Officials asked him how much money it would take. Johnson told them. He was flabbergasted when he was told not that it was too much, but that it was far too little. RJR explained that the federal government had recently banned cigarette advertising from television. As a result, the company had millions in marketing and ad money at its disposal.

To his credit, Johnson quit thinking about himself and suggested RJR get in touch with NASCAR. If the company could strike a deal with the sanctioning body, it would benefit all competitors. Which it did. The Winston Cup Series was created and it offered a season-long championship program that offered thousands in monetary rewards, including a tidy sum for the title winning driver and team.

As beneficial as the new Winston Cup Series was to competitors, it was equally so for NASCAR.

By 1971, the sanctioning body was teetering on the edge of extinction. The Detroit auto manufacturers had withdrawn most of their financial and technical support, which were the life blood of NASCAR. That meant that even the most established and successful teams had to find sponsorship if they wanted to survive. That was not an easy task and for the lesser, “independent” teams that never enjoyed factory support, the job was even harder.

Which is why Johnson found himself looking for money — a search that led, through RJR, to NASCAR’s salvation.

What RJR did for NASCAR over 32 years cannot easily be measured, if it can be measured at all. The company poured millions…