Connecticut Attorney General's Office

News Release

Blumenthal, American Cancer Society Hold Press Conference

Monday, May 20, 1996

While many in auto racing promote various brands of tobacco, one race car participating in this weekend's World Challenge Series at Lime Rock Park will deliver an anti-smoking message.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Fight Against Smoking Team (FAST) and the American Cancer Society held a pre-race press conference on May 21 at Lime Rock in Salisbury with the American Cancer Society Mustang, a car that will be entered in the Touring Division of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) World Challenge Series on May 25. The car features FAST's Smoking Kills Motto.

Blumenthal said the impact of tobacco advertising at auto racing events is clear, particularly with this being one of auto racing's biggest weekends of the year.

"Auto racing has an enormous appeal and influence to children across t he country," Blumenthal said. "The auto racing community should use this influence as a positive force to improve the health of millions of children. Instead of encouraging our children to light up, they should deliver the truth to those young fans: smoking is not glamorous, smoking kills."

Through this effort, the America Cancer Society and the Fight Against Smoking Team are bringing their important message to Lime Rock and millions of people around the country," Blumenthal said. "Auto racing can and should deliver a pro-health message to our children so that they will not join the next generation of addicted smokers."

The World Challenge race is part of the New England Dodge Dealers weekend that features unique double headliner events with both the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) World Sports Cars and SCCA Trans AM cars running races that weekend. Track attendance is projected to be 35, 000 fans at the three-day event.

Tobacco products kill more Americans every year than AIDS, murder, suicide, alcohol, illegal drugs, car accidents, and fires combined. Auto racing fans have been the recipient of the nation's largest and most sustained pro-smoking promotional campaign.

Auto racing may be the last medium in which it is possible for the cigarette industry to enjoy billions of advertising impressions with not one single warning about cancer and other risks. Recent research has reported that children are three times more influenced by tobacco advertising than adults. FAST and the American Cancer Society will address this situation with trackside educational activities designed to carry the Smoking Kills message to the public attending the race. American Cancer Society volunteers working at the event will distribute lists of smoke-free restaurants in Connecticut to race fans and will give out information on anti-tobacco legislative initiatives that citizens in Connecticut may want to support.

David Woodmansee, Vice President of Communications for the American Cancer Society in Connecticut, said "The American Cancer Society is especially excited about the opportunity to carry the Smoking Kills message to teenagers since studies show 89% of smokers start before the age of 18. We have to get their attention before the cigarettes companies do. Auto racing is an impactful medium for achieving this educational objective." David Seuss, founder and president of FAST, said, "Research shows that of approximately 168 million adult Americans, 155 million either do not smoke or wish that they did not smoke. Motorsports has oriented its marketing power toward those 13 million who are smokers and want to be. Surely it is a better business decision to focus on the 155 million than on the 13 million. The American Cancer Society and Attorney General Blumenthal are superb ambassadors to bring the Smoking Kills message to motorsport fans because of their long standing recognition, credibility, and support with the general public. FAST is proud to work with such visible and influential parties." FAST is a charitable educational organization that utilizes the sport of professional auto racing to promote anti-smoking educational campaigns throughout the country, especially targeting its message to young people.

The American Cancer Society is the nation's leading charitable health organization. It boasts two million members nationwide and conducts educational programs designed to improve the health of the general public and reduce the harm being done by cancer.