AT&T logos go back on RCR's No. 31 at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- The title sponsor of NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series has reached an agreement with Richard Childress Racing that will allow the No. 31 car of Jeff Burton to compete while bearing the logos of primary sponsor AT&T.

Under the terms of the agreement, RCR will be able to compete with AT&T logos through the end of next season, but Burton's car must have a new sponsor by 2009. RCR employees began applying AT&T decals to the No. 31 car and transporter early Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.

"We're ready to move forward," NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said. "I think it's really good, because no one likes litigation."

Added Dean Kessel, director of Nextel Cup marketing for Sprint Nextel: "We are giving RCR and Jeff Burton an appropriate amount of time to transition to a new sponsor while remaining focused on winning the championship. That is the best solution for RCR, NASCAR, Sprint and racing fans."

Burton's car sponsor, previously known as Cingular, was grandfathered into the sport after Nextel assumed title sponsorship and rights as the sport's exclusive wireless carrier. When the name of the company changed to AT&T because of a merger, NASCAR barred the Childress team from competing in its new colors. Childress won a temporary reprieve in May, when the injunction allowed AT&T to return to the car.

But on Aug. 14, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the injunction, and AT&T logos were again removed from the car. The case, which included a $100 million countersuit against AT&T by NASCAR, was scheduled to go to trial until the agreement was reached. Kessel said all parties have signed the deal.

"This agreement represents compromise from all sides that ultimately serves the sport well," NASCAR chairman Brian France said in a statement. "No one likes litigation, most of all the NASCAR fans, and it was time to find a mutually agreeable solution."

That solution allows NASCAR to avoid the uncertainty of a trial. "The uncertainty of the courts, you just don't know," Hunter said. "So we've reached an agreement and a compromise that all parties have signed off on."

Asked if any financial transactions had been made as part of the agreement, Hunter declined comment. Childress declined comment in the Richmond garage, but said later in a statement that AT&T "will continue to be a big part of what we do. Now we can move forward and concentrate on winning races and competing for the championship."

Burton is seventh in the championship standings and guaranteed a berth in the 12-man, season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup, which begins next week.