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By removing the ban, officials could create a sponsorship windfall for a couple of racing teams that have been courting liquor companies in recent months.
NASCAR president Mike Helton will make the formal announcement Wednesday. NASCAR is not expected to name an official hard-liquor brand, but teams and tracks will be allowed to advertise hard-liquor products — as long as the advertising programs include a commitment to promoting responsible drinking.
Roush Racing president Geoff Smith called the announcement "a victory for all the teams" but said he was disappointed that officials didn't lift the ban several months ago. Smith has spent much of this year vigorously lobbying NASCAR officials to allow liquor advertising.
Smith was hoping to sign a brand from liquor manufacturer Diageo as the primary sponsor for up-and-coming driver Carl Edwards next season. But because the ban was lifted so late in the year, Smith says the company can only commit to a reduced role as an associate sponsor for driver Kurt Busch.
"But it'll be good in the long haul for us," Smith said.
Richard Childress Racing also is pursuing a liquor company to sponsor its No. 30 car for next season.
Under NASCAR's current sponsorship policy, teams are allowed to advertise beer and malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice. But teams are not allowed to advertise hard liquor, a ban that can be traced to NASCAR's conservative roots and a longstanding agreement among major television networks to turn down hard-liquor commercials.
Liquor advertising has steadily been making its way into the sports world in the past few years on cable television, in-stadium signage and on race cars in others motor sports series. The IRL's IndyCar Series allows teams to advertise hard-liquor products, and a hard-liquor brand, Crown Royal, is the title sponsor of the IROC all-star series.
Jeff Burton was involved in sponsorship discussions with a liquor company earlier this year while he was driving the Roush team's No. 99 car. Although NASCAR officials' repeal of the ban comes too late to keep Burton with Roush — he left for Richard Childress Racing in August, and Edwards took his place — Burton said officials did the right thing by taking time to weigh the potential positives and negatives associated with lifting the ban.
"If they choose to do it, they've done the right thing by taking the time making sure it's the right thing for the sport, not letting the external pressures influence their decision," Burton said. "That's pretty much typical of NASCAR. They're slow to move, they're not going to be reactionary, they're going to be an organization that really thinks about it and tries to do the right thing."
Burton said he expects some people to be offended by the introduction of hard-liquor advertising into NASCAR, but he considers liquor sponsorships "perfectly acceptable" as long as companies and the teams that accept their sponsorship money make an effort to promote responsible drinking.
"I honestly believe, that if the spirit companies come into the sport and handle it properly, they will elevate the responsible drinking message," Burton said. "It won't degrade it, it will elevate it."