AT&T logos Back On Jeff Burtons #31

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HMMMM. There is nothing official about this yet. But according to this, AT&T will stay with RCR and the #31 throguh this season. They have a contract through 2009, but according to this article it looks like RCR and Jeff Burton will have to find a new sponsor for next year.

So, was this some sort of compromise? Did NASCAR realize that making AT&T backing out in the middle...well end...of the year would be very hard for RCR?

I don't know. But I may be happy with this compromise except that it will only leave Alltel for Nextel....I mean Sprint....uhhmm yeah, Sprint to pick on.

How about the theory that AT&T might take the Busch series next year? Did NASCAR cut them a break on that price tag to get them to finish this year and move on?? Who knows.

Ulitmetly though, I think AT&T should be able to stay with RCR as long as they want. If that is not possible, this at least might be a decent compromise. Although not really a compromise, AT&T is still going to be out of the Nextel Cup Series.......I mean the Sprint Cup Series (man, that just doesn't sound right!)
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RICHMOND, Va. - AT&T, NASCAR and Sprint have settled the lawsuit involving the primary sponsorship logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car.

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. Sources indicated that AT&T will remain on the car through 2008. Its contract with RCR runs through 2010, but the team will have to look for a new sponsor beginning in 2009.

AT&T wanted to replace the Cingular logos after the two companies were involved in a merger in December 2006 and the Cingular brand was being phased out.

NASCAR had denied the use of the AT&T logo, saying it violated the NASCAR contract with Nextel (now Sprint Nextel) that granted Nextel exclusivity beginning in 2004 with sponsorship of the Cup Series.

AT&T sued NASCAR in March and won an injunction in U.S. District Court to get the logos on the car May 18. The injunction was overturned by an appeals court Aug. 13.