The states' attorneys general said that Marlboro cannot sponsor cars in two racing leagues. Though Phillip Morris believes it has a case, it did not want to press the issue before thoroughly negotiating the matter with the attorneys general. So car owner Roger Penske and Phillip Morris agreed to remove logos from the car and team uniforms in the Indy 500.

Wires must have gotten crossed somewhere because Marlboro logos were still discernible on the crew's apparel, as well as Helio Castroneves' uniform. In fact, when Castroneves won the race, a Marlboro hat was placed on his head. Roger Penske was even seen sporting a sweater with a Marlboro logo at the race. So, in the end, Marlboro got a certain amount of advertising value.

Though it is unclear whether logos of tobacco companies involved in the settlement have to be removed from driver and crew uniforms, Phillip Morris was going to do it anyway. Phillip Morris was going to try and show that the company was being cooperative. Through this cooperation, they hoped to better enable themselves to convince the attorneys general that Indy and CART racing are much the same and that they should be allowed to run sponsorships in both leagues. Or at least be able to retain sponsorship of its CART car when its CART team races in IRL races.

Though exposure on the uniforms was great for Marlboro, the face time it gained for the brand was limited. If the company had known Castroneves would win the race, the smart move would have been to leave the logo on the car. Any fine Phillip Morris would have incurred for violating the agreement would have been mild compared to the advertising value that would have been gained by sponsorship of the winner of the Indianapolis 500.

In fact, this year it would have been even more valuable because many NASCAR fans tuned in to watch Tony Stewart drive the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 back to back. So folks who get bombarded with R.J. Reynolds brands every Sunday would have watched a two-hour commercial for a Phillip Morris product.

That would have been real value for Marlboro.