[Mb-civic] NYTimes Article: Driver Is Fined for Nascar Ad Cover-Up

[Ian]

Can you believe this?  And I thought corporate sponsorship couldn't get any
more distasteful...

Peace.

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Driver Is Fined for Nascar Ad Cover-Up
August 4, 2004
By BLOOMBERG NEWS

A Nascar driver, Jimmie Johnson, who is sponsored by PepsiCo Inc., was fined
$10,000 for covering a bottle of the Coca-Cola Company's Powerade sports
drink with a sign after he won the Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday.

 Mr. Johnson climbed from his car on victory lane while surrounded by media
and placed a sign for the Lowe's Companies, his primary sponsor, in front of
a bottle of Powerade Nascar officials had placed on his car. Coca-Cola's
Powerade is a sponsor of Nascar, stock-car racing's governing body.

The fine comes a week after the organization's president, Mike Helton,
ordered drivers to stop interfering with the placement of sponsors' products
in victory lane. Mr. Johnson said that he was trying to follow Nascar's
orders and protect a sponsor.