NASCAR countersues AT&T over RCR sponsorship dispute
Quote selected text Published June 17th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Today NASCAR filed a counter claim in U.S. District Court against AT&T Mobility/Cingular Wireless and AT&T Inc., alleging breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, and conspiracy to aid and abet wrongful interference with Nextel’s exclusive sponsorship agreement.
NASCAR is seeking a minimum of $100 million in damages.
The NASCAR Rule Book governs participation in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and its contents are agreed to in writing by all NASCAR members and participants. Cingular is a member of NASCAR and agreed to abide by all NASCAR rules and regulations when its representatives signed official documents such as the NASCAR Membership and License Application.
NASCAR’s suit further alleges that AT&T, Cingular and its representatives breached its explicit agreements with NASCAR when they re-branded the #31 car; entered into contract with RCR knowing that they would litigate against NASCAR; and when they sought to ambush Nextel’s exclusive sponsorship rights.
NASCAR also submitted its response today to a suit filed by AT&T Mobility/Cingular Wireless by soundly rejecting each of their claims. The response demonstrates the clarity of NASCAR�s rule book and the baseless allegations made by AT&T Mobility/Cingular Wireless in its attempts to re-brand the #31.
[NASCAR]
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Sprint/nextel is trying to monapolize the phone advertisments and kick all the other phone sponsers out just so they can take over. they have the lousiest cell phone service in the contry.
see you can sue at&t bc it was the court who said yehhh
This is absolutely stupid! does NASCAR not understand that people actually do buy products from the companies that are on their race cars?
BOOO to all those stupid debris cautions! 
If Nextel is so bummed about AT&T taking their business why don’t they sponsor a car? Winston did when it was Winston Cup before all the cigarette stuff. I like Burton, and I do use AT&T, and although I didn’t get my Cingular (at the time) cell phone because of Burtons car I do use products that are on those cars because they are on those cars! Nextel is just making themselves out to be a bunch of crybabies :_( put your name on a car or putting some commercials on t.v. and you’ll have a better time trying to sell your product. hardly ever do I see a Nextel commercial on t.v. and to me since they’re doing this to Childress and Burton they will NEVER get my business. NASCAR was getting to a high point where it was going to be called “the new national past time” I think this type of business is dragging them down. BOOO to NASCAR!
NASCAR GET IT TOGETHER!!!
Nascar is suing sponsers……..BRILLIANT!
also it said wireless company at&t isnt wireless and cingular was already there so
This is stupid. Its not like at&t is another sponser coming in, they are just taking over cingular. They aren’t an added threat to nextel they are an existing one. I agree that nextel is just trying to monopolize the sponsorships in nascar. It really needs to stop and i hope at&t wins.
#1. Nextel does not need to sponsor a car because the are the sponsor of NASCAR… DUH!
#2. When Nextel took over sponsorship of NASCAR, Cingular & Alltel were already sponsors on cars so they were grandfathered in, but no other wireless/cell phone companies were sponsors so there was no other contractual problems.
#3. When Sprint bought out Nextel, did Sprint insist that Nextel change there sponsorship name to the Sprint Cup?, I don’t think so… It’s still the NASCAR Nextel Cup and will be until the contract runs out in, what, 8 or so years?
#4. I happen to have Nextel as my provider and have a NASCAR Driver Phone. Yeah, so it’s outdated, but it still works and Sprint guaranties it. As far as my plan goes, I happen to think I have a pretty darn good plan for the price. 2 phones, 1000 minutes, unlimited nights & weekend starting at 7PM, National Team Share, Nationwide long distance, No roaming, voice, 3-way, walkie-talkie, etc. The only difference in the name now is it’s know as Nextel, Powered by Sprint.
Now, I’m sorry, I’ve had other cell companies in the past (Alltel, T-Mobile & Verizon) and just did not get what I’m getting with Nextel. So I have no complaints with them as a cell service or as a sponsor of NASCAR.
So basically all I can say to all of you is Kwitcher Bitchin!
I read somewhere a few months ago that Nextel wrote into the contract that they CAN change their name once during their sponsorship of the series. I still don’t see what all the fuss is. Everybody is making money..
why don’t nascar just go f**k themselves this is ridiculous sueing a sponser that takes brains i tell ya
Can you hear me now?
I don’t get the controversy, Cingular was allowed to sponsor a car and they are owned by AT & T now. If Nascar expects that teams sponsorship money to get to the team, they should shut the hell up….it’s the same team and same contract.
Note to Anonymous: Yes, Cingular was allowed to sponsor a car. Go back and read my post as to why… It also goes for Alltel & Nextel itself. You’ll also note that Nextel was bought out by Sprint, but do you see Sprint trying to butt in and rename the Cup races ‘NASCAR Sprint Cup’? No, I don’t think so… Everyone knows that AT&T now owns Cingular. I mean you can’t miss all the commercials, duh?! Same with Sprint & Nextel, yet it is still the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Am I not right in this? Think people. Cingular and Alltel were grandfathered in before the final contracts with Nextel were completed and no other cell phone services were permited to sponsor cars. AT&T just needs to come to terms with that. Simple, eh?
Yeah, yeah, yaeh…grandfathered in….blah, blah, blah.
Let me spell it out for you….no sponsers, no Nascar.
Would you continue to sponser anything if you were not allowed to use your actual name?
Thsi just in:
Beginning with the 2008 season, Sprint will replace Nextel as title sponsor of NASCAR’s premiere racing series, multiple high-ranking industry sources told ESPN.com on condition of anonymity.
The series will be known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sources said.
NASCAR declined comment.
Dean Kessel, Sprint’s NASCAR marketing director, denied the claims, and said Sprint/Nextel is still sorting the proposition out with NASCAR. Kessel also said that multiple outstanding details must be finalized internally before a decision can be made either way.
This would mark the third time in four seasons NASCAR’s Cup Series experienced a sponsorship-based name change.
From 1972-2003, the Cup Series was sponsored by R.J. Reynolds tobacco through its Winston cigarette brand. Then, starting in 2004, Nextel assumed the naming rights to the most popular racing series in America.
Sprint and Nextel agreed to a $36 billion merger in December 2004.
Marty Smith covers Nextel Cup racing for ESPN.com.