AT&T Inc. has extended its sponsorship agreement with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) to be the sponsor of the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet car driven by NASCAR favorite Jeff Burton.
AT&T exercised its option to extend its contract with the 10-time NASCAR championship-winning organization. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
At the same time, Burton has reached an agreement with RCR on a contract extension to continue as the driver of the team.
"As long-time supporters of racing and its fans, we are very pleased to continue our involvement with the sport as a team sponsor in the wireless category," says Dave Garver, executive director of high growth segments and sponsorships for the wireless division at AT&T. "We've enjoyed our relationship with Jeff and RCR, and look forward to continuing to work with them through many more winning seasons."
AT&T, through its Atlanta-based Cingular wireless affiliate, has been the primary sponsor of RCR's No. 31 team since 2002. In that time, with Burton and Robby Gordon behind the wheel, the team has earned four wins, four pole positions, 22 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes.
According to sister publication SportsBusiness Daily, NASCAR recently filed litigation against AT&T Mobility/Cingular Wireless and AT&T Inc. seeking $100 million in damages. NASCAR filed the pleadings as a counter claim to an AT&T lawsuit currently pending in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The NASCAR counterclaim alleges a breach of contract stemming from AT&T's decision to rebrand Childress Racing's No. 31 car from Cingular to AT&T.
In March, according to Sporting News, AT&T filed the original lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Atlanta seeking to force NASCAR to allow it to rebrand the No. 31 car with the AT&T logo. The judge in the case paved the way for AT&T to add its brand by issuing a preliminary injunction last month, the Associated Press reports.
At the heart of the branding battle is Nextel, which competes with AT&T and has an exclusive contract as the title sponsor of NASCAR's Nextel Cup racing series. Cingular was grandfathered in as a NASCAR sponsor as part of that deal. However, AT&T now wants to replace the Cingular logo with its brand name in the wake of its acquisition of Bell South and the subsequent move to consolidate its brand identity.
San Antonio, Texas-based AT&T (NYSE: T) is a global communications holding company.
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