AT&T WANTS LOGO CHANGE NOW!

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kat2220

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AT&T Wants Logo Change Now
Telecommunications giant AT&T filed a motion Monday, asking that its logo be added to Jeff Burton's car immediately. The motion was filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, where the company also filed its lawsuit against NASCAR. A hearing on the motion has not yet been scheduled.

Burton is sponsored by cell phone service provider Cingular. AT&T recently took full ownership of Cingular as part of its recent merger with BellSouth and intends to eliminate the brand name. AT&T sued NASCAR on March 16 after racing series officials refused to allow AT&T to put its logo on Burton's car because of NASCAR's deal with Nextel, which sponsors NASCAR's top series -- the Nextel Cup.

"We must bring this issue to resolution," John Burbank, vice president of marketing for AT&T, said in a statement. "The season is well under way and so are our rebranding efforts. This filing is a logical next step for us in the process, and one we must pursue so that we can simply move forward with our paint scheme -- something our agreement with NASCAR allows us to do."

NASCAR's Nextel deal forbids teams that race in the series from signing new sponsorship agreements with competing telecom companies. The deal does contain a provision that allows teams with existing telecom sponsorships -- such as Richard Childress Racing, the team Burton drives for -- to keep their sponsors.

NASCAR officials said that even with the restrictions, the Nextel sponsorship -- along with similar deals with fuel supplier Sunoco and tire supplier Goodyear -- benefits every team. Money from Nextel, for example, goes toward the drivers' year-end points fund.

AT&T officials acknowledge they agreed to a contract with Childress' team that contains provisions saying Cingular can't increase the size or placement of its logo on the car and can't switch its sponsorship to another team. But they say the contract does not contain language preventing a logo change if Cingular's ownership structure changes.

NASCAR and Nextel officials declined comment when the lawsuit was filed.(ESPN)
 
NASCAR is now firing back at AT&T. Article in this morning's newspaper tells that when the contract with Nextel was signed, there was specific language in it that dealt with Cingular, saying that it couldn't not change it's paint scheme if the company sold or merged with another company, including a logo change. Sounds like they thought of everything. This could be drawn out for a long time in the courts. Meanwhile, the team will suffer. Also, NASCAR told AT&T that if they were so intent on being with NASCAR, they could sponsor a Busch or truck, such as what Verison did.

Developing...
 
buckaroo said:
NASCAR is now firing back at AT&T. Article in this morning's newspaper tells that when the contract with Nextel was signed, there was specific language in it that dealt with Cingular, saying that it couldn't not change it's paint scheme if the company sold or merged with another company, including a logo change. Sounds like they thought of everything. This could be drawn out for a long time in the courts. Meanwhile, the team will suffer. Also, NASCAR told AT&T that if they were so intent on being with NASCAR, they could sponsor a Busch or truck, such as what Verison did.

Developing...
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question really is...since this contract was not signed by Richard Childress...does Nascar have the right to tell him who can sponsor his car.

i think thats what its going to come down to......

Cingular is contracted with RCR not Nascar.
 
This Buds For Me said:
question really is...since this contract was not signed by Richard Childress...does Nascar have the right to tell him who can sponsor his car.

i think thats what its going to come down to......

Cingular is contracted with RCR not Nascar.
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Nobody is making Childress run in this series. NASCAR can and has prevented drivers from driving in their series. If they don't want someone there at the track, all they have to do is pull their pass. As for a driver, they can pull his license. NASCAR is in charge at all the venues they run, even over the track owners.
 
buckaroo said:
Nobody is making Childress run in this series. NASCAR can and has prevented drivers from driving in their series. If they don't want someone there at the track, all they have to do is pull their pass. As for a driver, they can pull his license. NASCAR is in charge at all the venues they run, even over the track owners.
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we'll....that all may change depending on whatever the verdict is.

i still am a firm believer that if nascar denies a sponsorship...that they should put up the money the sponsor was offering.

i personally dont feel that nascar can and should continue with the company line of "race teams are independent companies, we cant tell them what to do, but we can tell them who can and cant sponsor their race cars".

i dont think they can have their cake and eat it too.

either franchise the teams and create revenue sharing like the other major sports....or do not deny sponsors.
 
Back when Schrader was in the 49, AT&T was on the car but for some reason they was unable to keep it on the car when Nextel came in to the pitche. So does any know why?
 
Lap3Forever said:
Back when Schrader was in the 49, AT&T was on the car but for some reason they was unable to keep it on the car when Nextel came in to the pitche. So does any know why?
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I remember discussing this with someone...i believe the answer to that was that AT&T was only on the car for a few races...not a full time sponsor...therefore they were not qualified to be grandfathered in.

thats to bad they didnt sign on for a full season with BAM...i would bet they would still be on that car and that team would have maybe grown a little bit.
 
I just don't understand why Nextel can change to Sprint/Nextel and AT&T can't change to AT&T/Cingular.
 
AT&T on the $49 car was for long distance service, which at that time was a big deal. These days, long distance is a minor thing and so there isn't a big need for it, like the old 10-10-123 and so on and so forth.
 

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buckaroo said:
AT&T on the $49 car was for long distance service, which at that time was a big deal. These days, long distance is a minor thing and so there isn't a big need for it, like the old 10-10-123 and so on and so forth.
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LD is still a HUGE deal for businesses....we sell it everyday.
 
This Buds For Me said:
LD is still a HUGE deal for businesses....we sell it everyday.
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I didn't know about business usage, but any more, home long distance comes with either cell phone, or other packages such as digital phone. We can call from either one without incurring any fees. What a difference ten years make. Before I moved down here, I was building upwards to 600 bucks a month calling my sweetie. Now days, for the price of a cell phone contract, you can call all you want for 40 bucks a month or so.
 
One can see the changes made in our day to day life with the sponsorship of the cars. These days, we no longer see the small mom and pop ads that adorned the cars of yesteryear, but instead, see huge corporate ads. And that is where the problems come in. Not enough of those types of companies are willing to shell out the millions that are needed for a team. And when there is a company found, they begin to look at what is happening to AT&T and Shell.

Here's what happened in the past, not all that long ago. DeWalt had in their contract with NASCAR that no other tool company could have an exhibition within so many feet of theirs. At a particular track, Sears was set up very close to them and they hollered. NASCAR finally made Sears tear down their exhibition and move it. They did, but it cost them a lot of money for the move. These days, I don't know if the same thing would have happened. Maybe DeWalt would have insisted on Sears moving completely out of the track area.

And the fight continues...
 
buckaroo said:
I didn't know about business usage, but any more, home long distance comes with either cell phone, or other packages such as digital phone. We can call from either one without incurring any fees. What a difference ten years make. Before I moved down here, I was building upwards to 600 bucks a month calling my sweetie. Now days, for the price of a cell phone contract, you can call all you want for 40 bucks a month or so.
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yup....your right about that cell phones and VOIP really have changed the home long distance world.

funny...just like the computer in the 80s changed the word...the cell phone really has changed the world in the past 10 years.
 
NASCAR Answers Back In Suit
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." ...Daily Headlines
 
jeefunk said:
^Based on that, it sounds like AT&T is SOL.
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AT&T doesnt think so...they apparently believe they are in the right....its ultimately not going to be Nascar's decision...its going to be a judge's.

This lawsuit is going to set a precedent for Nascar.
 
This Buds For Me said:
AT&T doesnt think so...they apparently believe they are in the right....its ultimately not going to be Nascar's decision...its going to be a judge's.

This lawsuit is going to set a precedent for Nascar.
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I believe you are right about this and what a shame. That's where we are heading in just about every facet of life. Got a lawyer, better get one and the more expensive, the better. :(
 
buckaroo said:
I believe you are right about this and what a shame. That's where we are heading in just about every facet of life. Got a lawyer, better get one and the more expensive, the better. :(
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i think you know where i stand on this....I'm not a huge fan of Nascar preventing teams from creating cash flow when the teams are not owned by Nascar.

I personally would like to see many of the teams leave nascar and form another sanctioning body....i think it would be better for the fans and the teams.
 
I think that in the past, a split would really have been impossible because the fan base was so aligned with NASCAR. Today, however, there might be a slight chance success, but still, it would be extremely hard. First off, there would be the need of more than a couple of the top stars coming along. That might be the biggest hurdle for a new series. And certainly, anyone attempting a split wouldn't want it to end up like the open wheel split with the IRL and CART. When that happened, CART was doing pretty good and might have even been on a level playing field as NASCAR, but after the split, NASCAR has become the premier racing circuit in this country. And look what happened to CART. IRL is still a fledgling series, but is growing now.

Bruton Smith would be the logical leader of a split, but why would he want to do that when he's doing perfectly well with NASCAR? For the most part, a split is just a dream from fans who are not satisfied with NASCAR, what it is and where it's heading. I don't think that you'll find many owners/drivers who would even think about a split. What really needs to happen is something like ARCA, ASA, Hooter's Pro Cup, or some other series becoming bigger and bigger. That won't happen unless you get the TV coverage like what started the real surge in popularity with NASCAR back in the early 80's.
 
buckaroo said:
I think that in the past, a split would really have been impossible because the fan base was so aligned with NASCAR. Today, however, there might be a slight chance success, but still, it would be extremely hard. First off, there would be the need of more than a couple of the top stars coming along. That might be the biggest hurdle for a new series. And certainly, anyone attempting a split wouldn't want it to end up like the open wheel split with the IRL and CART. When that happened, CART was doing pretty good and might have even been on a level playing field as NASCAR, but after the split, NASCAR has become the premier racing circuit in this country. And look what happened to CART. IRL is still a fledgling series, but is growing now.

Bruton Smith would be the logical leader of a split, but why would he want to do that when he's doing perfectly well with NASCAR? For the most part, a split is just a dream from fans who are not satisfied with NASCAR, what it is and where it's heading. I don't think that you'll find many owners/drivers who would even think about a split. What really needs to happen is something like ARCA, ASA, Hooter's Pro Cup, or some other series becoming bigger and bigger. That won't happen unless you get the TV coverage like what started the real surge in popularity with NASCAR back in the early 80's.
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i agree with basically everything you said there buck, i would like to see a split myself, but i dont think its really that possible.

back in the late 90's to early 2000s i know there were rumors going around that a few teams were considering going different directions but it just never really went anywhere.

In the past i would have agreed with you that Bruton Smith would have to lead this effort, but i read somewhere the other day that good ole Bruton is 80 freakin years old...i knew he was getting up there...but didnt know he was that old.

I would assume SMI would have to be the one leading this...but it'll never happen.
 
If a split ever does happen...where will they race? I'm sure NASCAR will be able to get all tracks they race on now to go nascar and not with the new guys. So all the tracks we see now will be out of reach.
Betsy:rolleyes:
 
Betsy said:
If a split ever does happen...where will they race? I'm sure NASCAR will be able to get all tracks they race on now to go nascar and not with the new guys. So all the tracks we see now will be out of reach.
Betsy:rolleyes:
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SMI still owns a decent portion of the tracks...plus the can race at other venues that have lost dates in the past.

There are other race tracks out there that can handle cup races.
 
Ok so the new guys will be racing Hickory and Myrtle Beach? NASCAR has a strangle hold on the tracks of note.
Betsy:rolleyes:
 
Betsy said:
Ok so the new guys will be racing Hickory and Myrtle Beach? NASCAR has a strangle hold on the tracks of note.
Betsy:rolleyes:
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You've got to be kidding. Those track, though they did host Busch races in the past, are way below any kind of standards for the top cars of today. And a sell out would be about 20,000 or less. No suites, nothing to offer high dollar sponsors what so ever. But there are a lot of tracks that would work but again, how you going to get any top name drivers to defect? The more money that becomes involved in auto racing, the harder it will be to get anyone to switch. There is just so much money to go around at this point.
 
Betsy said:
Ok so the new guys will be racing Hickory and Myrtle Beach? NASCAR has a strangle hold on the tracks of note.
Betsy:rolleyes:
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along with Bristol, TX, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Sears Point.....dont forget that Smith is in business with the owner of Loudon.

i think they would have a few nice tracks and could add a few more.
 
Don't you guys realize NASCAR would pull their races if the new guys were booked? Just the threat of that would stop any NASCAR tracks from using the new guiys.
Betsy:rolleyes:
 
Betsy said:
Don't you guys realize NASCAR would pull their races if the new guys were booked? Just the threat of that would stop any NASCAR tracks from using the new guiys.
Betsy:rolleyes:
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well yea...thats what we are saying...if there is a split...im sure the new division would not be running at ISC tracks and the old division would not be running at SMI tracks.

thats why if it were to ever work, the majority of the big teams would have to leave nascar.

thats also why it'll probably never work.
 
AT&T-NASCAR hearing set for April 26: The preliminary injunction hearing in the AT&T vs. NASCAR lawsuit over the sponsorship of the #31 Richard Childress Racing Nextel Cup Chevy driven by Jeff Burton will be April 26 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. NASCAR had asked the court to delay the injunction hearing, but U.S. District court Senior Judge Marvin H. Shoob denied the request Thursday. AT&T is seeking an injunction to put its logos on Burton's car. NASCAR has forbidden the AT&T logos because of its agreement with Nextel to sponsor NASCAR's premier series. Cingular, which is Burton's current sponsor, merged with AT&T in December, and AT&T is phasing out the Cingular name. Cingular had been grandfathered in as a sponsor when the Nextel-NASCAR contract was signed in 2003.(SceneDaily.com)
 
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