 | ||
Kodiak is a brand of dipping tobacco manufactured by American Snuff Company, a U.S. smokeless tobacco manufacturer that also produces the Grizzly tobacco and Levi Garrett brands. Introduced in 1981, Kodiak is currently available in three flavours: Wintergreen, Mint (formerly Ice), and Straight, each featuring a picture of a Kodiak bear on the top label. Kodiak recently introduced pouches, which hold the moist snuff in a tea-bag like pouch, preventing it from spreading around the mouth and keeping it out of the teeth.
The Kodiak Wintergreen variety is a strong brand of dipping tobacco. It is a basic mixture with high nicotine content and a pH as high as 8.35. It has high levels of deprotonated nicotine, "the chemical form... that is most readily absorbed through the mouth into the bloodstream," when compared amongst other brands.
Kodiak Sponsored many NASCAR teams from the late 1980s to 2001. Levi Garett sponsored some races too. Notable drivers who drove for Kodiak/Levi Garett are Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven, Steve Grissom, and Stacy Compton. Kodiak was the 1989 NASCAR Cup Championship winning sponsor with Rusty Wallace in the 27 Blue Max Racing. The snuff company also sponsored Hendrick Motorsports, Larry Hedrick Motorsports, and Melling Racing.