AT&T, NASCAR and Sprint apparently have settled the lawsuit involving the primary sponsorship logos on the #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. With NASCAR approval, the AT&T logos were being put on the car of Jeff Burton on Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway. Details of the settlement were not immediately released.
One day after NASCAR made a legal request for permission to remove AT&T from the Nextel Cup series in 2008, AT&T made a strong statement it plans to stick around. AT&T announced it has exercised an option for a three-year extension with Richard Childress Racing to remain the primary sponsor of Jeff Burton’s No. 31 car through the 2010 season. Financial terms were not announced. Burton, meanwhile, has agreed on a contract extension with RCR.
Cingular and Alltel had previous sponsorship deals which thus far have been protected by the courts. U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob issued a preliminary injunction last month that allowed the Cingular logos on Burton’s Chevrolet to be changed to AT&T markings. Shoob also barred NASCAR and any entity affiliated with it from interfering with AT&T’s rights as primary sponsor of the car in the Nextel Cup series. On Sunday, NASCAR asked for a minimum of $100 million in damages in a counter claim against AT&T Inc. The suit also asks that NASCAR be granted the right to kick AT&T – and all telecommunications companies other than Nextel – out of its top series in 2008.
Continue reading AT&T, Jeff Burton Sign Extensions With RCR