Short-lived Nextel moniker had memorable moments

Change is inevitable -- especially in stock-car racing, where the roots of the sport are deep in innovation. And now even that has changed with the full-season implementation of the Car of Tomorrow in 2008.

Stands to reason that the COT would be ushered in next year, since NASCAR's premiere series is also undergoing a name change. Four years after Nextel became the official sponsor, Sprint takes the reins in '08. "Sprint to the Cup," anyone?

NASCAR.COM looks back at some of the most memorable moments of the short-lived Nextel Cup Series:

Chase for the Nextel Cup
With the official announcement on Jan. 20, 2004, the most talked-about story of that year was the new championship format: 10 drivers, 10 races, one title. The top 10 would have its points reset, starting with 5,000 for the leader and decreasing in five-point intervals through 10th place. In 2007, the system was changed to allow 12 drivers and the points structure revamped to allow a 10-point bonus for every victory during the first 26 races.

Four years later, the Chase remains a hot-button topic among the fans who contend a 10-race "playoff" does not fully represent a year's worth of racing.

The Car of Tomorrow
Touted by NASCAR as the future chassis of the sport, the COT was conceived as a way to level the playing field; single- and two-car operations would be on equal footing with the Hendricks and Roushes of the stock-car universe. In addition to more competition, the COT was heralded as a step forward in safety innovations and cost management.

The COT debuted on March 25, 2007, at Bristol, the first of 16 races in which the chassis was used this year. Hendrick Motorsports' driver Kyle Busch won the inaugural race and immediately exclaimed, in Victory Lane no less, that the car "sucked."

• NASCAR officials plan to have a COT chassis in place for the 2009 Nationwide Series season.

Toyota debuts in Nextel Cup
An international model returned to NASCAR for the first time since June 1, 1958, at Riverside, when four Toyotas qualified for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2007. Michael Waltrip (15th), Dave Blaney (37th), David Reutimann (40th) and Dale Jarrett (43rd) made the show.

Bill Jones was 18th that day at Riverside in a Citroen, a French automobile, the highest finish among four international entries.

Green-White-Checkers
Races ending under caution became a thing of the past when NASCAR instituted a green-white-checkers finish in July 2004, a rule change to increases the chance of the race ending under green.

The Hendrick tragedy
The future of Hendrick Motorsports changed dramatically at Martinsville on Oct. 24, 2004. An HMS plane crashed on its way to the race, killing all 10 people aboard.

Those who died: Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son; team president John Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's brother; Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick, John Hendrick's twin daughters; Joe Jackson, an executive with DuPont, sponsor of Jeff Gordon's car; Jeff Turner, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports; Randy Dorton, the team's chief engine builder; Scott Lathram, a pilot for Tony Stewart; and pilots Dick Tracy and Liz Morrison.

HMS driver Jimmie Johnson won the race that day but there was no Victory Lane celebration.

The champ is suspended
After an incident involving law enforcement in Phoenix in November 2005, Jack Roush decided to end his relationship with Kurt Busch early; he already had signed a contract to join Penske Racing in '06. The defending series champion was stopped after trying to avoid another car and running a stop sign.

After a roadside investigation Busch was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was cited for reckless driving.

Busch was eighth in points when he was suspended for the final two races of the season. (Continued)