Subject: [NEXTEL-1] From kissyface to Sh#tface in just two days!!!

From: "sparkie_rf" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003 21:33:29 -0000

Nascar's new deal with NEXTEL is not playing well with the Garage!!!

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

1) For example: Nextel's ad people took out a full page ad in USA 
Today to thank R.J. Reynolds for its 32 years in the sport and to 
promote the new Nextel Cup without mentioning NASCAR, which drew the 
ire of NASCAR executives, who wondered why they hadn't been asked to 
approve the ad, according to industry sources. To which Nextel men 
reportedly said that they didn't need NASCAR's approval.

Pyne said that the Nextel deal came together so quickly that there 
are still probably some loose ends.

ROFLMAO, we don't need NASCAR's stinking approval.

This is how business gets done!!!  ---  But not in NASCAR!

A couple of more moves like this and every good-ole boy camping 
infield is going to start telling the Nextel folks, "Hey boy, you 
sure do have a purdy mouth!!!"

2) And exclusivity was the hot topic in the Winston Cup garage.

NASCAR's George Pyne flew into town yesterday to provide more 
details about the Nextel-for-Winston deal, and said that the TV 
networks should be pleased and that NASCAR is pleased, particularly 
with the anticipated new television marketing campaign from Nextel 
and the doors that will open from a non-tobacco series sponsor.

However out in the Winston Cup garage things weren't quite as happy. 
ATT, one of the giants of the telecommunications world, isn't 
enthusiastic about NASCAR slamming the door in its face. And it may 
not go quietly into the night.

The issue is exclusivity, and NASCAR's definition isn't setting well 
in parts of the garage.

NASCAR's definition may cost Jeff Burton an ATT sponsorship that his 
team has been negotiating.

'I understand the series sponsor wanting exclusivity, Burton 
said. 'But it is confusing when Cingular is in here and Alltel is in 
here. What's the problem with one more, or two more or three more? 
That's difficult to understand.

'Something is either exclusive or it's not. This is almost 
exclusive, or exclusive to some people.

'It doesn't seem fair that Cingular and Alltel can be here but 
Sprint and ATT can't.'
--------------------------
Limited exlusivity ranks right up there with MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

3) NASCAR's Nextel deal raises another major issue - the fate of The 
Winston all-star race, which NASCAR sources say almost certainly 
will be moved to Richmond, Va., closer to Nextel's home office in 
Reston, Va. The date of the all-star race hasn't been set. 
---------------------
Humpy claims he setup the Nextel deal, and if Nextel tries to take 
away his race, there will be a big stink. If you don't know who 
Humpy is, then this doesn't apply to you!!!

4) My buddy at RacingRadios, down near you Marcel, tells me that 
Nextel is going to forbid fans from listening to races with 
scanners, a time-honored tradition. You'll have to BUY a Nextel 
account. 

Dear Nexel, forced fan loyalty will go over like a LEAD-BALLOON. 
When I go to a Pepsi track I can still bring Coca-Cola. Even thought 
Bud is the OFFICIAL BEER, I can still get a Miller or a Coors at the 
track. The trend of limiting fan choice is out of hand. Hello 
BACKLASH!!!

5) However, all is not that well in these opening few days of what 
is a planned 10-year marriage between stock-car racing and cell 
phones. 

Essentially, the immediate question is exclusivity. NASCAR has 
promised Nextel a modified version of exclusivity, because it was 
unable to offer complete exclusivity as R. J. Reynolds has had. But 
ATT officials are apparently not quite buying into the concept that 
NASCAR can allow three of the nation's six cell-phone companies - 
Nextel, Alltel and Cingular - access to the stock-car racing field 
and yet not allow the other three.

ATT has been in negotiations to put its wireless division on the 
quarterpanel as sponsor either for Jack Roush or Dale Earnhardt Inc. 
NASCAR has vetoed those plans.

However, yesterday ATT officials decided to 'make a stand' about 
their company's determination to stay involved in Winston Cup racing 
by expanding its sponsorship of Ken Schrader's car for this race.

ATT has been a part-sponsor of that team, and AT& --T, through its 
Comcast division, has been a part-sponsor of both the Matt Kenseth 
and Burton teams.

Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing, has been negotiating with 
ATT to become full sponsor of Burton's team, and Ty Norris, general 
manager at DEI, has been negotiating with ATT to become full sponsor 
of the DEI team that features Jeff Green.

'We were in the final stages of negotiations with ATT Wireless,' 
Norris said. 'But we were quickly informed that if Nextel happens, 
that only the people who were already in the sport would be 
grandfathered in.

'We kept going down that road anyway, in case something happened 
with the Nextel situation.

'We're really disappointed. It is pretty devastating to us right 
now, because we felt we had a real good shot at that. We were on the 
one-yard-line.

'But we understand the sport needs an title sponsor ... and you 
don't want to fight Daytona too hard because we know they're working 
hard on a title sponsor, so you can't get so upset about it....

'But I feel confident we could have landed the deal with ATT.'
======================
NASCAR did it for the TV Money from Nexel, because the TV partners 
are not making a profit on the current TV deal. Always follow the 
money.

Bottomline this DEAL may not last, because its penny-wise and pound 
foolish!!!

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---

From: Jack Daniel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 13:27:10 -0700

Sparkie and all you other NASCAR fans,

Sorry but you are counting on NASCAR 'tradition' to keep things as they
were but that tradition has no bearing on anything anymore. Don't expect
tradition to be followed by people who were not part of building that
tradition. This is a business deal.

Like others before them, NASCAR may have sold their soul to the Devil.

NASCAR deserves what they get because they should have done due
diligence, looked the gift horse in the mouth, kicked the tires, etc.

NASCAR thinks they can be half-pregnant, but it may turn out they got
screwed like a cheap hooker.

Completive NASCAR sponsors are dead meat. NASCAR has to understand what
exclusivity is. And in granting one brand exclusivity they and the
owners will loose the dollars other competitive sponsors would have
brought in or would bring in the future.

Geeez... Gave the store to the FIFTH place runner in the cellular race. 
I bet they don't give the Nextel Cup to the fifth place driver.

The Nextel Cup race site will go wherever Nextel says, not the fans or
drivers or NASCAR. 

So shut up NASCAR fans and be glad you might be able to rent a Nextel
race monitor for under $50 per race.

Naturally, Race Communications as we know it is dead meat. They will
cave because they don't have any choice or support to fight this change.

Any about the TV money:
Has anyone considered the tax-deducible advertising Nextel will receive
in TV exposure for the next 10 years?  

Combine that with the revenues that Nextel might receive from tie-in
products ads and thus the 'sponsorship' of NASCAR may actually be an
income stream for Nextel.

Of course we could go into manipulation of NASCAR press releases and
events to preempt or counter completive activities, force NASCAR's
communications to use Nextel exclusively, force track owners and track
security to use Nextel, force police, fire and ambulance services
serving NASCAR tracks to use Nextel for 'interoperability', give pit
position preference to race teams using/endorsing Nextel, flying the
Nextel flag, having Nextel name on all souvenirs, paper cups, hot dog
wrapper (maybe on toilet paper too), requite all cell phones and
scanners except Nextel's be turned off during the race 'to prevent
interference to safety services', get credit as co-sponsors for any
local handicapped and senior citizen passes to NASCAR races, have ticket
discounts and better seating for Nextel customers (just bring your
Nextel as proof), infield access restricted to Nextel customers only,
all T-shirts must include Nextel logo, etc, etc. 

How far this goes is up to Nextel, they have bought the right to do a
lot of things.

That's the way business gets done now days, and it's 100% legal.

===============================================

sparkie_rf wrote:
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---

From: "sparkie_rf" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 22:43:09 -0000

> screwed like a cheap hooker.

I do agree with what you've said here, and I'm certainly worried and 
frustrated about Nextel and their history of "Dirty Deeds done dirt 
cheap" (kudos to all the AC/DC fans out there).

A buddy of mine in the sports marketing business tells me that 
unless NASCAR completely lost their mind, which I doubt, then this 
deal includes an out for the league on damn near any basis. 
Effectively these deals can be canceled w/o good cause, althought 
its very, very rare. In the business its known as the nuclear clause.

The AOL-TimeWarner deal marked the official end of the dot-con era. 
I wonder if this deal will mark the end of NASCAR's rise in national 
popularity?

Did you see Nextel's fullpage ad in Friday's USAToday, without 
NASCAR's review? And then Nextel says we don't need NASCAR's 
approval this deal may not last very long at all. I'll make a bet 
that it doesn't last the 10yrs!!!

If Nextel is the future of wireless in america, we're done for.

---

From: Jack Daniel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 17:06:25 -0700

(I tried to send this earlier but my email server ate it.. I think)

Sparkie and other NASCAR fans.............. fasten your seat belt!!!

First, everybody get over saying "Winston Cup". 
It and NASCAR 'tradition' is a thing of the past. Modern business
practice says tradition is as old fashioned aand useless as integrety,
honor and 'doing what's right'.

IMHO, NASCAR has just sold their soul to the Devil and deserves
everything they get from now on. NASCAR did a miserable job of thinking
this one out. What part of 'exclusive' didn't they understand.

I think they tried to get half-pregnant but it looks like they might
wind up screwed like a cheap hooker. They will NOT respect you in the
morning after the ink dries.

Geeze.. NASCAR gave an exclusive deal to number FIVE in the cellular
race.
Bet the Nextel Cup isn't given to the fifth place driver!

Things that MAY be in your future;
- Maybe NEXTEL name will replace NASCAR name in race promos and news
releases.
- Maybe extel will trademark all combinations of "Nextel" and "NASCAR". 
- Maybe the Cup race will move to a new track built by Nextel using
local tax bonds to pay for it. 
- Maybe NASCAR can kiss competitive sponsors and their millions goodbye.
Hello Dirt Track, you've got some new sponsors.
- Maybe ace Communications will be history, Nextel might 'control' them
out of existence.
- Maybe all NASCAR comms will have to be Nextel only. This might be
promoted as a NASCAR decision.
- Maybe Track owners will go to Nextel to have interop with
NEXTEL/NASCAR 
- Maybe Local police, fire and ambulance services will change to Nextel
for interoperability.
- Maybe those same agencies will be cited as proof of Nextel's
acceptance by public safety.
- Maybe all official NASCAR souvenirs must have a Nextel Logo.
- Maybe concession cups and hot dog wrappers must have a Nextel logo.
- maybe all competitive brand cell phones and scanners must be turned
off 'to prevent interference to critical Nextel comms.
- Matbe race teams using Nextel exclusively will get pit position
priority.
- Maybe infield access and ticket discounts will be limited to Nextel
Customers.
- Maybe ll race communications becomes copyrighted by Nextel to prevent
re-transmission.
- Maybe you'll pay $25 base plus 25 cents a minute to add NASCAR
monitoring to your Nextel Handset.
- Maybe you can rent a Nextel approved 'scanner' at the race for $50 per
race.
- Maybe track crashes and fires, even driver deaths, will increase due
to delays in messages.
- Maybe payments for exclusive NASCAR rights are re-negotiated downward
after a few years due to fading attendance.
- Maybe Nextel sues NASCAR for non-performance of contract terms.
- Maybe Nextel writes whole program expense off as tax deductible
advertising expense.
- Maybe Collateral add-on product advertising and licensing revenues
become a profit center for Nextel.
- Maybe none of the above will happen.

Again, these are no more than musings on a slow Sunday afternoon.

But I may be wrong.....
Jack Daniel
=================================

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From: "Todd Ellis" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 07:09:25 -0400

A few brief comments:

NASCAR and NEXTEL = NASTEL?

If you have to buy a NEXTEL account to listen to the drivers, then does that
mean you can talk back to the driver too?  Could I tell Jeff Gordon he
drives like a sissy or Robby Gordon that he ought to take a chill pill?
Glad I'm an IRL fan and not NASCAR.

Ahh, the uses of NEXTEL.  I had a woman-friend inform me last week that she
uses her NEXTEL for hookups, and I don't mean for cable television
activations; pretty ingenious.  Does this mean an upcoming sponsorship for
HBO's "Sex in the City"?  "Beep-beep - whatchu dooin' tonight, sweet thang?"
Then instead of complaining of not getting any (ummmmmmmm, phone calls), the
pouty women cast members can complain about a lack of Direct Connects.  

Geoff, that was MY idea.  I expect compensation.  ;)

Todd Ellis

---

From: "Bill" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 09:22:11 -0700

-----Original Message-----
  From: Jack Daniel [mailto:[email-masked]]
  Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2003 5:06 PM
  To: [email-masked]
  Subject: Re: [NEXTEL-1] From kissyface to Sh#tface in just two days!!!

  I think you definitely are wrong on this one, Jack. Nextell doesn't do
anything nice for current customers. Nextel is only interested in NEW
customers.

  Bill

---

From: Jack Daniel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:42:48 -0700

I guess you got me on that one Bill. 

================================================

Bill wrote:
>      - Maybe infield access and ticket discounts will be limited
>      to Nextel Customers.
> 
>      I think you definitely are wrong on this one, Jack. Nextell
>      doesn't do anything nice for current customers. Nextel is
>      only interested in NEW customers.
> 
>      Bill
>