Subject: [NEXTEL-1] NASCAR pranced into Times Square with its dog-and-pony show Thursday-

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 05:39:42 -0400

Dog-and-pony show???? 

Hey wait a minute that's my saying! I file papers on that! I want to get paid!
Ha-Ha-Ha, That is just as frivioulous as nextel's TM on PTT.

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COLUMN: Jeff Wolf

Nextel to dial in on younger demographic

In time, the NASCAR Nextel Cup won't sound as
disjointed as a garbled cell phone conversation. For now, though, it sounds
like fingernails on a chalkboard.

NASCAR pranced into Times Square with its dog-and-pony show Thursday
to present Nextel as its newest corporate partner.

Funny how NASCAR picks a city where it doesn't race to hold its annual
awards banquet and to make its biggest sponsor announcement in 33 years.

Actually, it's pretty shrewd.

The Nextel Cup.

Sorry, still doesn't have the same ring as Winston Cup.

Through 33 years of support, R.J. Reynolds' Winston brand has contributed
greatly to NASCAR's success. It was NASCAR's savior in the early 1970s.
Winston paid for most of the building blocks upon which NASCAR
constructed the foundation for its fortress.

We only can hope Winston won't go from savior to afterthought.

Now we have Nextel.

NASCAR has made its deal, and it sounds like a good one. The 10-year
agreement reportedly is worth as much as $750 million.

That's a lot of roaming charges.

Included in Thursday's announcement was that NASCAR's annual all-star
race will go from being called the The Winston to the NASCAR All-Star
Race presented by Nextel. That race has been held at Lowe's Motor
Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., since 1987.

The Charlotte track is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., which also
owns Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Charlotte clearly wants to keep the
all-star event, but don't be surprised if NASCAR makes it available to other
markets.

Maybe even Las Vegas.

It might be reaching for the stars, but Tom Kelly, Nextel's executive vice
president and chief operating officer, referred to our Silver State in his
comments at Thursday's media gathering.

While explaining his company's interest in expanding its customer base, Kelly
said, "We're testing a product targete d specifically to the youth today in
California and Nevada, which is going extremely well."

He added, "We're also expanding our opportunities, looking at ethnic
markets, especially the Hispanic market," where Nextel will be doing pilot
programs this year.

Señor Tom, bring your All-Star race to Las Vegas next year so you can
meet those potential customers.

It's not like Nextel is giving us unlimited daytime minutes. There will be prices
to pay for this new deal.

Because exclusivity is a buzzword in sports marketing and often a
deal-maker, you can count on not seeing another cell phone company around
a Cup race for the next 10 years once sponsorship contracts run out
between Cingular and Richard Childress Racing, and Alltel and Penske
Racing South.

Tracks with Cup races are optimistic Nextel will do more for the series than
Winston did, which Nextel should considering mounting restrictions put on
the tobacco companies over the past three decades.

NASCAR officials are pie-eyed over the prospects of being able to market
the sport to an audience younger than 18, a forbidden demographic for any
group with a tobacco company sponsor.

Those vibes from New York must have sent shivers through the board
rooms at Anheuser-Busch, Miller Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co.,
each of which sponsors Cup teams.

The tobacco presence will be gone from NASCAR after this season. Are
beer sponsorships next?

I'll take my chances on the road with a smoking driver over one talking on a
cell phone or chugging a beer.

Jeff Wolf's motorsports column is published Friday. He can be reached at
383-0247 or [email-masked].

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-20-Fri-2003/sports/21570302.html

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