NASCAR today announced that Nextel Communications will become the title sponsor of NASCAR’s premier national series - and one of America’s most popular sports.

#10 Valvoline Pontiac Driver Johnny Benson:

"I think the drivers are going to have to start practicing calling it the Nextel Cup instead of the Winston Cup. It's going to be funny to see how many times we mess that up. But this is good news today. I mean Winston has been awfully good and I'm sorry that they aren't going to be the title sponsor, but I think they will still do great things with our sport. Nextel will be cool. I expect they will do a good job promoting us and help us reach even more fans. I think having a company like Nextel make the commitment it has made speaks
volumes about how much Nascar has grown and is respected in the corporate world."

Jim Rocco - Senior Vice President - The Valvoline Company

"We at Valvoline think this is great news. It shows you the popularity of NASCAR racing when you see a sponsorship of this size sold so quickly. Our company made the commitment to NASCAR racing by being a longtime sponsor and in 2001 we took the step toward owning half of the #10 team. So as you can see we think the folks at Nextel made a pretty wise decision and we welcome them into the sport. Our goal is to have Valvoline etched right by the word Nextel on the championship trophy some day."