A new letter sent by government officials from several U.S. States to Formula One, pushing back against nicotine-related sponsorships, has NASCAR fans asking whether their sport could face similar questions in the near future.
In many ways, NASCAR sponsors are as iconic as teams, numbers, and drivers.
For many NASCAR fans, the sponsors who have been in the sport the longest evoke fond memories of a specific season or driver. Even then, some of the sport’s most iconic sponsors have not been seen at the race track for nearly 30 years.
Brands like R.J. Reynolds’ Camel and Winston, the latter of which was the sport’s longest-running series title sponsor, as well as smokeless tobacco brands like Kodiak and Skoal, have all gone by the wayside as societal and legal standards have stepped in to limit promotion of these addictive products.
This, of course, means that NASCAR’s fellow national motorsports have seen similar losses in well-known sponsors since the 1990s, as brands like Copenhagen and Marlboro are no longer seen in IndyCar, the NHRA, or Formula One.
Still, the parent companies of tobacco brands have not gone anywhere, with nicotine pouches taking a new life as one of the leading adult sponsors in motorsports.
In fact, their presence in Formula One has grown to the point that this week, Attorneys General from a combined 19 U.S. States and Territories wrote a letter to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Formula 1 Group CEO Stefano Domenicali, asking that the FIA and F1 expand its rules against tobacco sponsorships to include brands like Velo and Zyn.
“Given Formula 1’s significant youth viewership and the danger of exposing young people to highly addictive and harmful nicotine products, we call on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Formula 1 to expand its existing policy prohibiting cigarette sponsorships to prohibit sponsorship involving all tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, and to terminate all current sponsorships involving these products.”
The brands specifically cited in the letter include Velo, a McLaren sponsor, and Zyn, a Ferrari sponsor. Velo is owned by British American Tobacco, the parent company of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and Zyn is distributed by Swedish Match, which Philip Morris International owns.
Another major aspect of this letter to the FIA cited F1’s several “youth-focused cross-sponsorships” like Disney, Lego, and F1: The Academy, with the letter adding that “Formula 1 fans, especially the youngest viewers, deserve to enjoy race day without being targeted by the tobacco industry.
With the pressure now applied to F1, NASCAR fans are asking if their motorsport could be the next one to receive a similar letter.
While Zyn and Velo do not have on-track sponsorship in NASCAR, there are plenty of nicotine pouch brands popping up in the sport.
These sponsorships have ranged from lesser-known brands, like CLEW Nicotine Pouches, which sponsored Layne Riggs in select Truck Series races last season, to Lucy Breakers, which sponsored Riley Herbst at 23XI Racing in 2025, and FRE, which has sponsored Herbst this season.
Still, two of the most prominent brands seen on track in the NASCAR Cup Series both have ties to two major tobacco companies.
The first is Zone Nicotine Pouches, which sponsored Kyle Busch’s No. 8 starting in 2024 and has continued to sponsor the now-renumbered No. 33 with driver Austin Hill since Busch’s abrupt passing in May. Zone is currently owned by ITG Brands, as a subsidiary of Imperial Brands, which is the current owner of the Winston brand in the United States.
Furthermore, starting last season, Grizzly, known for its smokeless tobacco, joined the sport with its line of nicotine pouches through a sponsorship with Kaulig Racing, sponsoring both of their NASCAR Cup Series drivers and joining Kaulig’s new Craftsman Truck Series team this season.
Grizzly is owned by American Snuff Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco. The same company owns McLaren sponsor Velo.
For their part, Grizzly has also expanded its sponsorship to NASCAR itself, becoming an Official Partner of NASCAR, and more notably, an Official Partner for all NASCAR-owned racetracks earlier this season, with Grizzly signage seen around racetracks on raceday.
While it seems that NASCAR officials have yet to see any pushback on these sponsorships, it is worth noting that Attorneys General Jay Jones of Virginia and Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, two of NASCAR’s hotbeds, both co-signed the letter to the FIA.
Regardless, this is an area that, just like F1, NASCAR already has experience in, meaning that even if these sponsorships saw pushback, teams would find a way to fill the holes left on their hoods.
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