Comments on: Sprint Nextel Putting the Screws to AT&T http://www.vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/ Just a bunch of fans talking about racing Sat, 14 Apr 2007 15:39:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: bob racer http://www.vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/comment-page-1/#comment-72 bob racer Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:03:18 +0000 http://vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/#comment-72 Pretty apparent from this article that RCR knew all along--was it his greed that led to this? Wednesday, March 28, 2007 NASCAR fires back at AT&T in legal battle by Mike Mulhern JOURNAL REPORTER AT&T has been pressuring NASCAR with its lawsuit over how to paint the quarter panels on Jeff Burton's Nextel Cup car as it rebrands Cingular under the AT&T logo. According to papers being filed in the suit, NASCAR officials told Stan Sigman, the president and CEO of Cingular, five weeks ago that in April 2005, George Pyne, NASCAR's CEO at the time, told the Richard Childress-Burton team that it would not allow a change in paint scheme or logos if Cingular was bought and had its name changed. NASCAR further said that its grandfathering of Cingular - after Nextel signed on as the series sponsor - "was tied directly to the Cingular Wireless brand and not the Cingular company." The papers further say that "it is generally not in NASCAR's interest to limit sponsors' participation in the sport." NASCAR suggested that AT&T could sponsor a Busch team or a Trucks team instead, if it wished. That is precisely the route that Verizon has taken. NASCAR's filing refers specifically to Pyne's letter to Childress, dated April 4, 2005. It specifies that "should Cingular be acquired by a third party, the Cingular brand is continually welcome as a team sponsor. However, should the company's name change, we will not allow any paint scheme or branding on the car promoting this new name." The papers go on to say: "NASCAR certainly has no desire to eliminate the Cingular brand from NASCAR Nextel Cup series competition." But, "unfortunately AT&T's decision to purchase Cingular and then to eliminate the Cingular brand puts NASCAR in the position of having to now enforce the rights granted Nextel in the series sponsorship agreement." NASCAR and Nextel signed their initial agreements in the summer of 2003, with Nextel taking over the sponsorship from R. J. Reynolds for the start of the 2004 season. Pretty apparent from this article that RCR knew all along–was it his greed that led to this?

Wednesday, March 28, 2007
NASCAR fires back at AT&T in legal battle

by Mike Mulhern
JOURNAL REPORTER

AT&T has been pressuring NASCAR with its lawsuit over how to paint the quarter panels on Jeff Burton’s Nextel Cup car as it rebrands Cingular under the AT&T logo.

According to papers being filed in the suit, NASCAR officials told Stan Sigman, the president and CEO of Cingular, five weeks ago that in April 2005, George Pyne, NASCAR’s CEO at the time, told the Richard Childress-Burton team that it would not allow a change in paint scheme or logos if Cingular was bought and had its name changed.

NASCAR further said that its grandfathering of Cingular – after Nextel signed on as the series sponsor – “was tied directly to the Cingular Wireless brand and not the Cingular company.”

The papers further say that “it is generally not in NASCAR’s interest to limit sponsors’ participation in the sport.” NASCAR suggested that AT&T could sponsor a Busch team or a Trucks team instead, if it wished. That is precisely the route that Verizon has taken.

NASCAR’s filing refers specifically to Pyne’s letter to Childress, dated April 4, 2005. It specifies that “should Cingular be acquired by a third party, the Cingular brand is continually welcome as a team sponsor. However, should the company’s name change, we will not allow any paint scheme or branding on the car promoting this new name.”

The papers go on to say: “NASCAR certainly has no desire to eliminate the Cingular brand from NASCAR Nextel Cup series competition.” But, “unfortunately AT&T’s decision to purchase Cingular and then to eliminate the Cingular brand puts NASCAR in the position of having to now enforce the rights granted Nextel in the series sponsorship agreement.”

NASCAR and Nextel signed their initial agreements in the summer of 2003, with Nextel taking over the sponsorship from R. J. Reynolds for the start of the 2004 season.

]]> By: bob racer http://www.vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/comment-page-1/#comment-71 bob racer Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:18:30 +0000 http://vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/#comment-71 Wake up- Winston - RJR keep all tobacco sponosrs out of all divisions of NASCAR for 33 years--why do you think Marlboro was in Indy and F1 Wake up- Winston – RJR keep all tobacco sponosrs out of all divisions of NASCAR for 33 years–why do you think Marlboro was in Indy and F1

]]> By: Gvav1 http://www.vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Gvav1 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 09:33:24 +0000 http://vroomchatter.com/2007/01/27/sprint-nextel-putting-the-screws-to-att/#comment-7 Just found your blog...vroom! Sprint or Nextel or whatever their name is, should have confidence in their brand and welcome the AT&T brand into Cup racing. Big sponsors are hard to find these days. I'll add you to my blog roll! Just found your blog…vroom!

Sprint or Nextel or whatever their name is, should have confidence in their brand and welcome the AT&T brand into Cup racing. Big sponsors are hard to find these days.

I’ll add you to my blog roll!

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