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Federal court sez NASCAR can prevent AT&T from branding Burton's ride
Oh, the drama. Just when you thought AT&T may be in the clear to re-brand Jeff Burton's ride, NASCAR throws a $100 million lawsuit in the carrier's direction, and now, a federal appeals court has reportedly "cleared the way" for NASCAR to claim victory. Purportedly, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals "said Monday in its order that AT&T lacks standing to challenge NASCAR's decision," and subsequently tossed out a lower court's ruling that prevented NASCAR from halting AT&T's plans. Sheesh, all this over a paint job.
HDTV Listings for August 15, 2007
What we're watching: NASCAR in Primetime debuts tonight on ABC, it is marked as HD on some schedules, but not on ABC's website so we'll wait and see if it is. Otherwise, we'll check out the second episode of Hard Knocks: Training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs on HBO. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Win a trip to a NASCAR race
Nintendo wants you to see Greg Biffle and the #16 Wii car as they open up a contest that will award the winner with two tickets to Dover International Speedway on September 23rd. Not only does the winner get the tickets, but also backstage V.I.P. passes, allowing access to the garages area. And, as if that wasn't enough, you also get to play Biffle in Wii Sports. So, if NASCAR isn't your thing, you can at least enter in the hopes that, upon winning, you can beat someone in a video game who makes a lot more money than you. That's got to be worth it, right?[via press release; thanks, hvnlysoldr!]
Nintendo packs up the mullet and heads to the races
Establishing themselves as the dominant console just wasn't enough for the Nintendo company, as they declared themselves prepared to enter the NASCAR circuit with the Wii-themed Ford Fusion. Driven by Roush Fenway Racing and NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Greg Biffle, the car will make its debut at Watkins Glen next month, followed by an encore performance at Dover's Monster Mile in September. We have to question Nintendo's motives here, but not being NASCAR fans ourselves, we don't really think we're equipped to criticize. See also: Nascar rookie gives his wife a Wii[Via press release]
NASCAR to nix Nextel, rename series Sprint Cup?
Race fans not too engrossed in the drama that is modifying the Car of Tomorrow could have probably smelled this one coming out of turn two, but according to numerous sources at ESPN, the Nextel Cup will be no more after 2007. Soon after Sprint decided to axe the whole "Together with Nextel" bit from its agenda, whispers are now saying that the 2008 season will feature the Sprint Cup Series. As expected, NASCAR declined to comment, but Sprint's NASCAR marketing director noted that Sprint-Nextel is "still sorting the proposition out with NASCAR." Ah well, different name -- same game.[Thanks, Ben S.]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs endorsement contract with Sony
Sony recently announced that one of NASCAR's most popular drivers, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has signed a personal endorsement contract with the company. According to the vice president of marketing and brand development for Earnhardt's JR Motorsports, Sony was an easy choice, as the driver loves racing games, high-tech gadgets, and computers. "We're evolving with him ... as he matures, we have to grow his brand with companies that are authentic to who he is.".Earnhardt will focus on promoting high-def products such as TVs, cameras, and Blue-ray disc players, but Sony promises he'll be pushing games as well.[Thanks, Chris]
NASCAR countersues AT&T for $100 million, moves to ban future telecom sponsorships
We really couldn't care less about who wins this race or that race on the NASCAR circuit, and yet we've been unable to take our eyes off of the stock car giant's ongoing legal battle with AT&T, which has just entered a new and more contentious phase this week. You'll recall that in an effort to protect Nextel's exclusive 10-year sponsorship, NASCAR officials attempted to prohibit the "new" AT&T from rebranding Jeff Burton's Cingular car -- an attempt that was thwarted in a US District Court last month. Well apparently Brian France and friends aren't too fond of watching Burton race around the track with his shiny new paint job, and have just filed a $100 million countersuit in Atlanta, citing "breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, and conspiracy to aid and abet wrongful interference with Nextel." What's more, NASCAR is seeking the right to completely ban any non-Nextel telecommunications sponsors from the sport starting in 2008, which would allow it to give both AT&T and Alltel the boot. Ah, courtroom drama: the true sport of kings.
AT&T gets green flag to rebrand Burton's NASCAR ride
We know that there's another grueling week to survive between now and the Coca-Cola 600, but here's a NASCAR tidbit that will hopefully satisfy your Sunday desire for a little roundtrack action. AT&T has been given the green flag to rebrand Jeff Burton's (very orange) #31 race car after Judge Marvin H. Shoob of the US District Court, Northern District of Georgia, "granted AT&T's motion for preliminary injunction in its suit against NASCAR." It was noted that the decision gives AT&T "the immediate right to put its logos and brand marks" on the vehicle, and while we're not certain if we'll see a slightly new look come May 27th, we're sure it won't be long before the blue sphere makes its official debut.[Via RCRNews]
NASCAR rookie gives his wife a Wii
AP writer Jenna Fryer has been following the story of a rookie NASCAR driver named Juan Pablo Montoya, chronicling his life and how it has changed as he has emerged in the sport. During a rain delay at Darlington Raceway, he spoke a bit about his home life and, most importantly, his wife's recent fascination with the Wii. That, as you may well know, is something we can easily identify with.As Juan tells us, his wife received the Wii, along with some expensive diamond earrings (what a guy!). He says his wife became infatuated with the console after borrowing it from her brother for a day, as Juan tells us "Honestly, she really wanted a Wii. Somebody told her it was a lot of fun, and her brother lent her one the other day. But she hasn't played yet. She is waiting for me to play with her. She is so excited." Aw, isn't that nice ...Any of you out there like to game it up with your better half?[Thanks, Peter!]
3D NASCAR comes to DLP Reality Zone promotional tour
Wanna peep the future of HDTV at a NASCAR race? Just show up at the Texas Motor Speedway in April and you'll be able to check out 3D HDTV footage filmed at the NASCAR Busch Series' Stater Brothers 300 at the California Speedway in Fontana. 2D is soooo 2006 and while we wish this new 3D tech included those rad' blue and red paper glasses, we're sure that it looks just a tad better. Car racing seems like a natural fit to show off a in-your-face 3D demo so if your in the area, you might want to check it out at the DLP Reality Zone trailer - got to have a trailer if you're going to a NASCAR race.[image via robert.to]
AT&T sues NASCAR over Cingular paint job on Burton's ride
Even diehard fans of gas guzzling motorcars making entirely too many left turns in succession know that its about more than just the racing, and AT&T is apparently fairly hot and bothered that its mega marketing bucks aren't resulting in a new paint job. The #31 car, which owned by Richard Childress Racing and driven by Jeff Burton, has been sponsored by Cingular for about six years, but as we all know, AT&T (and its blue sphere) are calling the shots now. Unfortunately, Nextel (you know, the folks who sponsor NASCAR) has been less than snappy in addressing the change in logos, and now AT&T is dropping a lawsuit on NASCAR in an attempt to hasten the change. Typically, we would seriously question the sanity of a driver refusing to abide by the wishes of its primary source of funding, but when you're cruising in second place (and a good bit of winnings), you roll however you please.
AT&T sues NASCAR for sponsorship rights
When you're a big telecom outfit and you don't get your way with sponsoring certain events, better bring out the hankies when you start whining. That's just what AT&T did in a recent tiff with NASCAR, after racing officials refused to slap the AT&T logo on Jeff Burton's car. The Number 31 car already had the Cingular logo on it, but as AT&T eradicates all traces of that brand, it apparently wanted the AT&T logo instead (understandable, we suppose). The beef, though, comes from NASCAR's current sponsorship deal with Nextel for the Nextel Cup; with AT&T calling the logo placement an "integral part'' of the its brand name change, NASCAR is prohibiting the company's ability to "attract new customers and retain existing ones.'' Let us see here: logo change equals automatic new customers... sounds pretty logical to us.
HDTV Listings for February 24, 2007
What we're watching: Tonight the NASCAR Busch Series season continues in high definition on ESPN from Fontana, California. HBO also brings a new George Lopez comedy special live from Phoenix, before we get a look at Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) hosting SNL.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
NASCAR gives checkered flag to video on XBLM
Do you love your NASCAR? Do you love your Xbox Live video marketplace? If you answered yes, then you'll be a happy camper this NASCAR season. Starting today, NASCAR will be offering three condensed races a month via the Xbox Live video marketplace. And of course, the racing goodness will be for download in full HD glory. We presume that the downloads will be free as part of NASCAR's Race-Rewind program, but we can't guarantee that. Is anyone a NASCAR fan and excited to be able to download HD racing content off the XBLM?[Thanks, Jonah]
Call a Nascar Nextel FanView your very own
Oh, you know you want one. That slab of rugged yellow and blackness, complete with chunky antenna and oversized keys has been calling your name ever since you spotted it for rent last year. Well, after last season's successful run of FanView rentals, Nascar and Nextel are selling the handheld race-day scanner outright for $370 online or $415 trackside, though you'll still need to fork over $10 for a race-weekend activation whenever you want to actually use it to keep track of those big, hairy, American winning machines. Features still include live video and audio from the race, along with real-time data and stats, and audio replay for catching those little "that just happened" moments. You also can peep in-car cameras from up to seven drivers, or just stick it in the bed of your truck to improve traction. Rentals are still available for $50 a day and $70 per weekend.
ESPN plans "most advanced" HD coverage for NASCAR in 2007
ESPN recently revealed its plans for broadcasting NASCAR races during the upcoming season, in what the network is calling "most technologically advanced in motorsports history". Every race will be done completely in HD, including in car cameras, pit crew, blimp and other angles. All of this goes along with the mobile studio ESPN will use to broadcast NASCAR Countdown shows from each race, and a radio room that allows ESPN to record and replay clips from any driver-pit crew transmissions. You can expect the full HD treatment on every Busch Series race this year (aired on ESPN2-HD) and the final 17 Nextel Cup races on ESPN and ABC. We've already come to expect top notch HD broadcasts from TNT, Fox and HDNet's coverage of the sport and it appears ESPN is ready to raise the bar yet again.
NASCAR themed Track Vac runs circles around dirt
If pimping out your Roomba to sing, dance, or flash doesn't really interest you, or you'd simply feel more comfortable still holding the reins of your trusty vacuum cleaner, Track Vac's NASCAR-inspired vacuum is just the thing. Officially licensed and laced with decals, this RF-controlled device burns out around your hardwoods and carpet to suck up dirt, dust, and small chunks of gravel, and even makes "authentic" start-up and power drain sounds to give you that familiar Sunday afternoon thrill. Sporting five vacuums patterns and a wireless remote to steer it around, the racer even includes its own "Pit Row" when a recharge is in order. Additionally, you can switch the tidying functions off and crank things up in Race mode, which is certainly a surefire way to convince your kids to clean up quickly if they want to frolic. The NASCAR Track Vac is available now for reliving Talladega Nights every time your floor gets a bit trashed for $279.95.[Via CNET]
NASCAR + Burger King + 360 = sweetness!
NASCAR fans who enjoy their Xbox 360 are in for a treat this weekend as Bill Elliott is going to racing the #00 Xbox 360 / Burger King racecar of death. This puppy is decked out in 360 signature green, sleek 360 curving rings and The King driving a bumper car. I may have to turn on the TV to watch cars go in circles for hours on end just to see this bad boy in action. Also, I'm compelled to ask; do you think this racecar makes more noise than an Xbox 360 running at full throttle?[Via, MajorNelson]
HDTV Listings for September 3, 2006
What we're watching: NASCAR is the obvious choice tonight, with the Sony HD 500 from Fontana, California taking the primetime slot on NBC. HDNet Movies has an all-Eastwood slate of films scheduled for tonight including A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Pale Rider. College football kickoff weekend continues on ESPN with Kentucky and Louisville squaring off, while those of us without HD DVD players can check out National Lampoon's Animal House on Cinemax. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
EA's second half lineup for 2006
Electronic Arts has confirmed their release list for the remainder of the year, and according to studio president Paul Lee, "this is an extraordinary time to be a gamer."EA Sports titles include 07 editions of NCAA Football, Madden NFL, NASCAR, NHL, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and NBA Live, while the EA Sports Big label will deliver the third iteration of NFL Street. FIFA 07 has not been confirmed, but even though EA has already released two other FIFA games this year, plan on seeing the franchise's flagship title updated in Q4.Next gen and portable versions of The Godfather are also due to arrive in September, followed by Need for Speed Carbon, Superman Returns, and shooters Battlefield 2142 and Crysis. How many of these games are on your list?See also: World Cup keeps EA at top of sales charts EA's plan to rule Asia EA E3 lineup includes playable Wii, PS3 Madden [via Pro-G]
