Winston Out / Nextel in

[Jack Man]

Just announced on SPEED. Nextel will take over as primary sponsor for Nascar next year. It's a ten year deal with the offical announcement coming on Thurs. Good news!

[Joe Fan]

This has been speculated for some time. The only surprise is that it is Nextel.

[muggle not]

Originally posted by Joe Fan
This has been speculated for some time. The only surprise is that it is Nextel.

Actually I am flabbergasted. Nextel would have been my last guess for the replacement. Their business I believe is aimed at other businesses. I would think a business aimed more at the fans would have been appropriate.They only have a market cap of about $15 Billion compared to around $109 billion for Verizon and $115 billion for Coca Cola.

[gttouring]

I heard this last Night and I am stunned- NEXTEL?
they had their hand in open wheel and never seemed to get good returns, I guess their 'direct connect' system is just tops and they have money.
The CocaCOla cup? The VERIZON CUP?
THE NEXTEL CUP?
yuck
This is dread ful , like CART and their 'Vanderbilt Cup' personally I have read who vanderbilt was but who gives a rodents rear about that , PPG Cup was better, they should have gone with ChampCAR World Series Champions CUP, screw that Vander Name, it has no Panache
Now NASCAR guy might race fro the PETTY CUP or EARNHARDT CUP or FIREBALL ROBERTS CUP if the nextel deal falls flat,
They need to think above this money thing NASCAR is steam rolling ahead and will squash all racing around here.
It would be most appropriate if it was the NASCAR NEXTEL FRANCE CUP.
after all it is the FRANCE's who run it.

[Emfa]

Originally posted by muggle not
Actually I am flabbergasted. Nextel would have been my last guess for the replacement. Their business I believe is aimed at other businesses. I would think a business aimed more at the fans would have been appropriate.They only have a market cap of about $15 Billion compared to around $109 billion for Verizon and $115 billion for Coca Cola.

I wouldn't have picked them either, but the world's full of surprises, isn't it!

I'm sure that this will be part of a plan to grow their business, and maybe challenge the likes of Verizon. And Cingular? I see them very much in the retail market - maybe part of their strategy is to break a perception that they are only a business provider?

[429CJ]

So, no VISA Cup then...

[Emfa]

Nah, that's just for 4 legged horses!

[Jack Man]

Too bad Hooters wouldn't pick up the tab can only imagine what size cup they might have. LOL

[muggle not]

Well, time will tell how good a combination Nextel and Nascar will be. I read where some highly regarded sport agency thinks that it will work. I am just surprised that it wasnt some Corporation much bigger. MBNA would have been a good fit in my humble opinion.

[rustyfan]

Could have been worse... Imagine the McDonalds Cup, with Ronald McDonald greeting the winners in victory lane *shudder*

[Asp]

A full transcript of the official annoucement is availablehere, and here are the best bits!

Bill France: Thank you for coming and sharing a very special and exciting day, a day where the best-kept secret in sports is being announced.
...Nextel's 10-year commitment to our sport is -- word I have a tough time pronouncing, I'm going to skip it - it is truly an historic moment. This announcement is a fitting tribute to the hard work and dedication of everyone within the NASCAR industry for the past 53 years. All of us are thrilled to welcome Nextel to the NASCAR family
...My father would definitely be proud. We've come a long way toward fulfilling his vision, and we've come a long way toward making NASCAR racing a national sport with fans spread across America. We still have miles to go to achieve our goals, but we are confident we are well on our way, with Nextel as our new partner.
...America's No. 1 spectator sport and America's most successful wireless company joining forces.
One look under the hood and you'll see what fuels both NASCAR and Nextel to be performance leaders: a passion for winning, speed of execution, superior teamwork, and a commitment to excellence.

Enough waffle - here's some interesting information:
We envision integrating Nextel Direct Connect and wireless data into the fabric of NASCAR. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Direct Connect, it's the digital walkie-talkie that is inside every Nextel phone. It allows you to instantly talk to a colleague, family member or friend at the push of a button from across the track or now from across the country.

And a few Q and A's:
Q. How long do you think it will take before NASCAR fans can stop calling it the Winston Cup?
Tim Donahue: I don't know. It's been a wonderful tradition. RJR has done a great job. We intend to get in there from the get go and put a lot of marketing dollars behind it. I hope in the very near future it will be the NASCAR Nextel Cup on everybody's list.

Q. I was interested to know if part of the deal is if Nextel will be the title sponsor for the annual all-star race.
Speaker: Yes, they will, that will continue on. They will be the proud sponsor of the all-star event.

It's a good read if you've got time.

[gttouring]

Woah is the open wheel of the world...the WDC F1 world Chmpionship, better go almost all manufacturer and manufacturer sold engines and chassis, because this is getting hairy, Champcar american grand prix series better get real good deal or this is over with.

[Joe Fan]

I am going to have a hard time calling it the Nextel Cup championship. I think it is going to cause a great deal of confusion and I wonder how long Nextel will be committed to the sport. Will we get a new sponsor and name 10 years or so?

Personally, if I were NASCAR I would keep the name of the Cup--the Winston Cup--and just call Winton Cup racing, NASCAR Nextel championship racing for the Winston Cup. RJR has done quite a bit for NASCAR over the years and really are as important as the France family in bringing the sport where it is today.

[bcobbus]

Yes but by having the name Winston in there you still can't advertise, and thus would still have the same limitations that exists now. With Nextel, you get 700 million $ and open advertising abilities. The name sounds stupid, but it is the best for NASCAR over all...