Wanted-New Sponsor

[Mr. Ford95]

for top NASCAR team. #12 of Roger Penske, driven by Ryan Newman MIGHT be looking for a big time sponsor very soon unless they get it on with Sprint/Nextel. Alltel has agreed to a buyout to TSG?? If approved by shareholders then we could see another AT&T affair if the new company owners want to stay in the game.

[yoopr]

It's an Investment group and will probably keep the AllTel name

[mike3fan]

Mr. Ford or Yoop for that matter,do you think the Court ruling on the AT&T ruling is good or bad for Nascar in the long run?

[Mr. Ford95]

Yoop, think I heard that these buyers of Alltel will make Alltel a private company now. Whatever that means but if they change the name, it will create a stir with Nextel/Sprint again, pending the upcoming ruling of their current case with AT&T.

mike, I think it's a good thing. NASCAR should not be forcing sponsor's out because of a name change, not in today's NASCAR where it costs about $20 million to sponsor a top team. Teams are already finding a tough road with the cost being so high. Very few big name sponsor's are out there anymore that can funnel that much money into the sport. The one's that are out there are being kept out by these "special" contracts NASCAR has with certain sponsor's. In the end it will bite them in the rear as we saw with the Victory Lane crap back in 2004.

[mike3fan]

mike, I think it's a good thing. NASCAR should not be forcing sponsor's out because of a name change, not in today's NASCAR where it costs about $20 million to sponsor a top team. Teams are already finding a tough road with the cost being so high. Very few big name sponsor's are out there anymore that can funnel that much money into the sport. The one's that are out there are being kept out by these "special" contracts NASCAR has with certain sponsor's. In the end it will bite them in the rear as we saw with the Victory Lane crap back in 2004.

You know I had the same reaction in the beginning,but I think I am changing my mind.Listening to the shows this week they bring up valid points.

All the teams reap the benefits of Nextel's involvment,if there is not as much value as having a exclusive contract with nascar,then maybe nascar and the teams through the prize money don't get $75 million a year?

Can you name a time in Nascar's history with as many well finaced teams as there are right now?I can't and some teams are putting toghehter 1/4 season packages to make up for companies that cannot handle $20 million a year.

If you allow competing companies to sponsor race cars then I think you have to expect lower money from the title sponsors,which if you can take then I think it is fine.

The one thing I have a problem with is when Nascar takes sponsors away from teams and makes them "the official sponsor of Nascar".

[Mr. Ford95]

The only thing I see with Nextel taking money away is the prize money will take a hit. Hate to say it but, these drivers are already making a killing with their base salaries, taking away a little prize money ain't gonna hurt any of these teams or drivers. You no longer have the field fillers that would need all the prize money they can get. If they want to reduce the prize money, go for it. Wasn't hurting teams that long ago before the price of racing skyrocketed.

The bad news is, had Nextel and NASCAR just left everything alone, AT&T would have gotten on the #31 without any fanfare. But when they decided to fight'em, it gave a ton of free air time to AT&T. It's still the Nextel Cup and Nextel Series, no matter what happens that cannot be changed by sponsor's coming in. They will never be bigger than the Title sponsor.