Winston, NEXTEL, Sprint, Busch, orNationwide?

by 4ever3 on Apr 16, 2008 11:14 PM EDT Comment 14 comments

There has been a bit of a buzz going around the various NASCAR blogs these past few years, especially since the NEXTEL Cup Series became the Sprint Cup Series and the Busch Series became the Nationwide Series. The basic buzz is that now that each series has new sponsors they also get exclusive naming rights over the whole series including the past and people aren't too happy about it - including me.

Let me explain; for 30 yrs NASCAR's number one series was called The Winston Cup, and when Winston had to leave NASCAR as a sponsor NEXTEL became the new sponsor. Not only did NEXTEL get exclusive naming rights of NASCAR's premier series, but they also got the naming rights for the entire series' past. That's right, Dale Earnhardt is a 7-time NEXTEL Cup Champion even though he died long before NEXTEL became the series sponsor. Now that Sprint is the series sponsor that also makes Dale Earnhardt a 7-time Sprint Cup Champion too!

Wow, between Winston, NEXTEL and Sprint, Dale Earnhardt is a 21-time Champion! Awesome!

Don't you think that this is a little ridiculous? I mean those previous sponsors are as much a part of NASCAR's storied past as the drivers are. Dale Earnhardt is a 7-time Winston Cup Champ, not a NEXTEL Cup or Sprint Cup Champ. Period. And you can't tell me otherwise.

I think it is bad PR on NASCAR's part to ignore it's previous series' sponsors in both the Cup and Grand National divisions. Even the announcers on TV have problems remembering that Benny Parsons is a Sprint Cup Champ now and not a Winston Cup Champ.

It is an insult to all those former Champions, former series sponsors, and the fans to call those previous championships anything else but what they were at the time they were won.

Don't forget to enter my "Daytona 500: 50th Anniversary" contest today - time is running out!

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Maybe somebody in Daytona should photoshop all those pictures that have Winston and Nextel and change them all to Sprint. It would make about as much sense as trying to rewrite the history/record books.

It always reminds me of the first Superbowl. Technically speaking, as we are here, the New York Jets won the first Super Bowl, even though the record books say the Packers won the first two. It wasn't until the Jets played the (Baltimore)Colts that the game was referred to as the SuperBowl.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

by John on Apr 17, 2008 12:06 AM EDT reply actions

bro. To make it politically correct I think they should just simply refer to the past Champions before Sprint/Nextel/whoever the f#@k they name it after Sprint goes broke as past Cup Champions. That way nobody offended and the proper respects to history and the drivers won't be tarnished with corprqte bullshiznit!!! I'm just sayin... Dawg

by Tiredawg on Apr 17, 2008 5:47 AM EDT reply actions

Boy my spelling is soo bad. The part that is missing from my other comment is I agree with you bro. The other very badly mispelled word was corperate.

by Tiredawg on Apr 17, 2008 5:52 AM EDT reply actions

When Winston was the title sponsor, no one had a problem with calling Richard Petty a '7 time Winston Cup Champion' even though a couple of those Championships came from the Grand National era.

If it wasn't an issue with Winston, it should not be an issue today.

by okla21fan on Apr 17, 2008 8:16 AM EDT reply actions

"Don't you think that this is a little ridiculous?"

Um, yes, it is. Because it's such a trivial issue. Okie has it about right, it's only an issue because of all the recent name changes.

I'd hazard a guess if Sprint had not come along with it's buy-out the din heard over the issue would be cut at least in half if not more.

That aside, it's not like NEXTEL has disappeared. The 2008 NEXTEL champ will be crowned Oct 12th. If not sooner.

by MArc on Apr 18, 2008 12:54 AM EDT reply actions

I never really understood it myself. To me Dale Sr will always be a 7-time Winston Cup Champion and should be acknowledge as such.

Just like, I think AT&T should have been allowed to remain in the sport. You pay millions of dollars to get naming rights...I get it. But isn't there enough of the pie to go around for everyone to enjoy a slice?

by Trixie on Apr 18, 2008 8:35 AM EDT reply actions

I agree with Bob on this. It is ridiculous to preface the former champs (or divers) by the new sponsor moniker. Not trivial at all.

Did the Baltimore Ravens suck all those years I was growing up in Cleveland...or was it the Browns?

by Onebadwheel.com on Apr 18, 2008 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

When writing, I tend to reference the series as the Cup series.. It was a bit confusing when I experienced the Winston name change, it found it annoying.

With the Grand National changing it's name, that messes me up.. can't they call it the Bowl series or something so I can reference that term then?

But I suppose NEXTEL, I mean Sprint, oh wait, soon to be T-Mobile(?) anties up $10 mil, I suppose they want their name on everything.

by Bruce Simmons on Apr 18, 2008 2:13 PM EDT reply actions

Trixie - "To me Dale Sr will always be a 7-time Winston Cup Champion and should be acknowledge as such."

Lets follow that logic shall we?

Then 7-time champ Richard Petty is not a "Winston Cup Champion" but a 7-time Strictly Stock Champion, if you get my drift.

by MArc on Apr 18, 2008 6:22 PM EDT reply actions

I dont really have a problem with it. Yeah, I wish they'd just leave it alone and keep it one name. Nextel was working pretty well with me and the whole change to Sprint is just a no.

Whatever though. We're gonna watch whether its the Sprint Cup, Nextel Cup, or Winston Cup.

by Ashley on Apr 18, 2008 11:34 PM EDT reply actions

I don't think so. It's the Cup Series. NASCAR's elite racing series.

With your train of thought, everyone's stats should be reset with each new sponsor of the series.

The all-time stats of all the great drivers no longer matter, because they fell under a different series.

Gordon didn't match and break Dale Earnhardt's record last year because the record no longer exists? (Don't get me wrong, I am not a Gordon fan AT ALL).

The Sprint Cup so far this year has Carl Edwards with the all-time race win record-----at 3. Nobody has ever won more than 3 races.

None of the other stats matter because it was all under a different series.

If Sprint sponsors the series for the next 10 years (I doubt it, they will be out of business by then) then when the new sponsor comes in, we can reset all the all-time stats again.

Don't think so.

by Ryan Newman Fan on Apr 18, 2008 11:58 PM EDT reply actions

Oh yeah, I hate the name Sprint Cup. I think of much smaller cars on much smaller tracks.

And I agree with trixie.....let AT&T race. Good money from a good sponsor. And they are being allowed to stay, just not in the Cup Series...Cup Series....Cup Series.

by Ryan Newman Fan on Apr 19, 2008 12:03 AM EDT reply actions

In the record books the drivers should be referred to as the sponsor that was in place when they won. Everywhere else, for those that can't remember who the sponsor was, Cup Champion should suffice. It's enough to make my head hurt.
I don't like the "exclusive use of name" rights either. Some of these sponsors act like they are the only ones around. To me, it's childish the way they want naming rights. OK now I'm rambling; hope I made sense.

by Cheyenne on Apr 19, 2008 12:58 AM EDT reply actions

Whenever I write about the main series in NASCAR I tend to do what Burce does and refer to it as The Cup Series that way I can avoid all the name issues especially when I'm refering to the pre-Sprint era.

I agree with cheyenne on this, for the record books whenever you are refering to a certain year or time period it should continue to be called what it was at that time whether it was pre-Winston, Winston, NEXTEL, Sprint, or what ever new sponsor it might be.

Apparently, what I wrote - or the subject matter at least - sparked some sort of reaction from a bunch of you and that is good, that is what it was supposed to do. It was so interesting to some of you in fact, that one of you decided to start your own blog about NASCAR and chose to write your response to me there as your first entry instead of in my comments section.

Here is the link http://turninleft.blogspot.com/

by 4ever3 on Apr 19, 2008 2:49 AM EDT reply actions