Nextel hooking RJR up with all-star tickets

[TonyB]

From That's Racin'

Nextel Communications, which took over sponsorship this season of what was known as NASCAR's Winston Cup Series, is providing 1,500 tickets to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. employees for the May 22 Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
RJR's Winston brand had not only sponsored the Cup series, but also the annual all-star race, which has been held at the Concord track every year but one since 1985.

Nextel officials will present the tickets at RJR headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C., in the coming weeks.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

At least someone still acknowledges RJR. I get so tired of past champions being called "Nextel" champs.

 

[kat2220]

Nextel must have a bigger heart than previously thought. I just wish Nascar wouldn,t have tried to rewrite history to eliminate Winston from it's past.

 

[Whizzer]

Originally posted by kat2220@Apr 17 2004, 03:41 PM
I just wish Nascar wouldn,t have tried to rewrite history to eliminate Winston from it's past.

The drivers who won Championsips prior to 2004 were actually Winston Cup Champions, not NEXTEL champions. The drivers who win the championship from now until another series sponsor takes over will be the NEXTEL Champion.

No way either NASCAR or NEXTEL can make fans beleive everything that took place before the sponsorship change should be attributed to NEXTEL.

After all, when discussing some stupid experience before marriage, the topic is ALWAYS preceeded by saying, "yea, BEFORE I got married, and insert the story of some stupid incident."

There is a BEFORE and AFTER in every part of life and relocating, changing jobs or changing sponsors should not change the time frame specific events took place.

Just my thought.

 

[boB]

Whiz,

If what you say is true, and I do agree with you on the subject, why were all the Grand National Champions called Winston Cup Champions after RJR took over the title sponsorship in 1972?

Same story there and no one seems to feel that was questionable, either now or at the time the change took place.

 

[TonyB]

It's called naming rights folks. As long as you are paying the bill, you get your name attached. Stop paying the bill, stop getting your name attached.

During the years of 1972 to 2003 Winston was paying the bill and all NASCAR past champions (even those prior to 1972) where to refered as Winston Cup champions. From 2004 until ?, they'll all be refered to as NEXTEL Cup champions.

They are all CUP champions (even though the series wasn't called the Cup series until 1972). The corporate name in front of CUP will change with the sponsorship.

In Houston, out baseball stadium has been called Enron field, Astros field, and Minute Maid park. All park records are now refered to as Minute Maid Park records. If Minute stops paying the bill, they'll be called mby whoever foots the bill.

 

[DE_Wrangler_2]

It's always been a pretty silly argument to me. It's just something new for us fans to get used to. 10 years from now, people will remember the Championships and title chases from the Winston era but they will refer to them as Nextel Cup titles.......much the same way we do with the Grand National titles with Winston Cup titles. RJR and Winston have contributed greatly to the sport and their contributions will be remembered in the history books........but now those titles will be referred to as Nextel Cup titles. Until, like Tony said, someone else takes over the primary NASCAR Cup series sponsorship.

And, if Busch or Craftsman ever opt out of their respective sponsorships of those two series, we will be getting used to a new Championship titles all over again.