Ralph Seagraves' Hall credentials

Ralph Seagraves changed the way NASCAR teams, and the sport itself, worked with sponsors.

It all started when he met future Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. Seagraves was an official with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the late 1960s when he recrafted the way sponsors worked with NASCAR.

Looking for a new way to market cigarettes after the government banned his products from advertising on television and radio, he met Johnson, who had the idea that the company sponsor his cars.

Seagraves set his sights even higher - why not sponsor the entire series.

In 1971, R.J. Reynolds took over sponsorship of the premier series and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series – now the Sprint Cup Series – was born. Together, they launched NASCAR into the national spotlight. The groups continued to work together for three decades.

In addition, the landmark sponsorship resulted in the formation of RJR’s Special Events Operations, which Seagraves led as president for 13 years. RJR’s Winston brand sponsored NASCAR’s top series for more than 30 years, ending in 2003.

With Seagraves at the helm, R.J. Reynolds also helped a number of racetrack operators upgrade their facilities, many of which were short tracks that ran NASCAR Winston Racing Series races, part of the sport’s developmental program.

He retired from R.J. Reynolds in 1986.