OCTOBER 26, 2006

Penske keeps Marlboro money but no signage

The Penske IRL team will continue to be sponsored by Philip Morris USA but the tobacco company says it will remove the Marlboro name from the cars, uniforms, support equipment and promotional materials visible to the public.

"This is consistent with the company's efforts to reduce the overall profile of its cigarette brand marketing," Philip Morris said recently in a statement. "Although PM USA has decided to discontinue the use of the Marlboro name in connection with its sponsorship of Team Penske, the sponsorship will be conducted in compliance with the Master Settlement Agreement restrictions on brand name sponsorships."

It is expected that Penske will follow the same philosophy as Ferrari with the cars retaining their current red and white liveries but without the brandname Marlboro.