Nextel Cup to undergo name change

Nextel Cup to undergo name change.


TSN.ca Staff
6/24/2005 12:13:29 PM
NASCAR's Nextel Cup series is expected to undergo its third name change in four years in 2007.



Last December, telecommunications companies Sprint and Nextel announced a merger. The new company will be known as Sprint with the Nextel name continuing as a key product brand.
Company executives say they are "committed to its partnership with NASCAR and its more than 75 million fans" and that the Nextel Cup series name will remain through 2006. A decision on the new series name and branding will be announced prior to the start of next season but its likely Sprint will be prominant in the new name.
One early suggestion when the merger was first announced had Nextel remaining as the title sponsor of the series with the "Sprint to the Nextel Cup" taking over as the Chase for the Championship portion of the season.
From 1971 to 2003, NASCAR's top series was known as the Winston Cup. Nextel took over naming rights from R.J. Reynolds in 2004 after paying a reported $700-million US over the next 10 years
__________________________________________________

When NASCAR was looking for a replacment sponsor they wanted one that was as stable as Winston. So they chose Nextel, now after just a few seasons the name is to change again. Might not mean much to the average personbut to race teams and manufactureres of memorabilia it will.

Greasemonkey.