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.

Smoke fails to make the Chase
Tony Stewart was the defending series champion but he failed to make the Chase in 2006, finishing 11th in points after Richmond where the 10-driver field was set. Stewart played the role of spoiler in the 10-race playoffs, winning three times down the stretch.

The Kid passes the Intimidator
Jeff Gordon uses a Dale Earnhardt-like charge in the final laps to win at Talladega on April 29, 2007 -- on what would have been Earnhardt's 56th birthday -- and pass the seven-time champ on NASCAR's all-time list with 77 victories.

Junior leaves DEI
On May 10, 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the announcement many believed would never come: "After a year of intense negotiations and intense efforts on behalf of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and JR Motorsports, we decided that it's time for us to move on and seek other opportunities for me to drive for a new team in 2008."

Yes, Dale Jr. would be leaving his father's organization.

On June 13, Junior announced he would join Hendrick Motorsports, beginning in 2008. That move pushed Kyle Busch out the garage door and into a Joe Gibbs Racing car for next season. That move led to J.J. Yeley signing with Hall of Fame Racing and pushed Tony Raines out the garage door.

Tony Stewart goes home
A native of Indiana, Smoke captured an emotional (and elusive) victory in the Brickyard 400 on Aug. 7, 2005, at Indianapolis. The win was part of a run of 18 top-10s in Stewart's final 21 starts that secured his second series title.

You picked the fine time to leave me, loose wheel
Kurt Busch had the right-front wheel come off the No. 97 during the season finale on Nov. 21, 2004, at Homestead, but he maneuvered onto pit road and eventually salvaged a fifth-place finish and claimed victory in the first -- and closest -- Chase. He won the championship by eight points over Jimmie Johnson.

Rising Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson won his fourth consecutive race on Nov. 11, 2007, at Phoenix, and all but secured his second consecutive Cup championship with a series-high 10th victory of the season. No other driver in the Nextel Cup era registered double-digit wins in a season.

Open-wheel migration
Juan Montoya made his NASCAR debut on Oct. 28, 2006, at Memphis in the Busch Series, then jumped to the Cup Series for the season finale at Homestead on Nov. 19. In 2007, he won the Busch Series race at Mexico City and the Cup Series race at Sonoma.

What followed: open-wheel stars Dario Franchitti, Jacques Villeneuve, Sam Hornish Jr. and Patrick Carpentier all joined the fray -- and almost certainly more are on the way (remember the name: Scott Speed).

It don't mean ... what?
Earnhardt was docked 25 points and fined $10,000 for cursing during a TV interview after his victory at Talladega on Oct. 3, 2004. Asked by NBC about the significance of his fifth victory at Talladega, Junior said: "It don't mean s--- right now. Daddy's won here 10 times."

After the win, Earnhardt led Kurt Busch by 13 points. After the point penalty, Junior trailed by 12 with seven races left in the season. He finished fifth in the Chase, 138 points behind Busch.