DAYTONA BEACH -- Big tobacco once filled NASCAR's coffers and supplied much of its marketing muscle.
Now, it's officially banned in the grandstands of one of the sport's most important and iconic tracks.
Daytona International Speedway is putting its smoke-free grandstands rule to the test during this week's races. For the first time, smokers are prohibited from lighting up in seating areas. Instead, they must puff away in nearby designated smoking areas.
So far, tobacco users are taking the new rule in stride, and nonsmoking fans are relieved they won't have to choke on secondhand smoke through an entire three-plus hour race, said Joie Chitwood III, president of Daytona International Speedway.
"I expect everyone is going to follow the rules," Chitwood said. "We were lagging behind in this area. It's the year 2012."
The Speedway asked smokers to voluntarily refrain from lighting up in the stands during Speedweeks in February. Now, the ban is mandatory, and fans can report violators via the Speedway's text-messaging service.
First-time offenders will be warned and told to extinguish their smokes. If they don't, they could be asked to leave, Chitwood said.
That won't be a problem for Dawn Fletcher, a Winter Park woman who is among the many fans adapting to the rule. In the past, she smoked in the stands, but she said she will comply with the ban.
"I don't smoke in my house," she said. "I go outside, so it won't bother me. I'll just go without."
Other fans smoking at the track Friday said they understand why the Speedway would want to prohibit them from lighting up in crowded stands.
With the change, the Speedway became the last professional sporting venue in the state to ban smoking in seating areas, according to track officials. The prohibition marks a change in the sport's approach to tobacco. From 1971 until 2003, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. sponsored NASCAR's top line of races and dubbed the series the Winston Cup. Cigarettes were handed out like Halloween candy during events, and driver Dick Trickle was even once filmed smoking in his car during a caution lap.
Anti-tobacco groups applauded Chitwood for his decision to bar smoking in the grandstands. John W. Walsh, president and co-founder of the COPD Foundation, will present an award to track officials during pre-race ceremonies before today's Coke Zero 400. Walsh's group seeks to raise awareness about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung condition often caused by smoking.
Two years ago, the COPD Foundation started sponsoring the February Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. While the COPD Foundation would like to see smoking banned in all public areas at the track, Walsh said the Speedway's restriction was a step in the right direction.
"It's an incredibly courageous thing to do," he said.
Smokers shouldn't see more changes in the near future, though. Chitwood said he thinks the track has struck a good balance between keeping seating areas smoke free while still giving smokers a place to light up. He doesn't anticipate any further restrictions.
