Cingular Sponsorship moving? UPDATE 6 to RCR #31? Gordon in – 3yr deal?: At least four teams are vying for a major sponsorship with Bell Atlantic/Cingular Wireless (Actually it is BellSouth not Bell Atlantic which is Verizon), according to NASCAR sources. The company currently sponsors Jason Leffler and car owner Chip Ganassi. Among the car owners expected to be talking with the company are Richard Childress and Bill Davis. Childress and Mike Skinner are assessing their situation, Childress says, but an announcement could still be a month away, according to Childress. Childress has made it official that Jeff Green will drive an AOL-sponsored car for him next season, ending months of debate(Winston Salem Journal)(7-16-2001) UPDATE: hearing the #33 Andy Petree Chevy driven by Joe Nemechek and currently with sponsorship by Oakwood Homes (who will leave at the end of 2001) will get the Cingular sponsorship in 2001. Cingular currently sponsors the #01 Dodge driven by Jason Leffler(8-8-2001) UPDATE 2: also hearing Cingular could end up on the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy’s that Jimmie Johnson will drive in 2002(8-9-2001) UPDATE 3: The battle for the Cingular Wireless sponsorship is down to Bill Davis vs. Richard Childress, according to sources close to the situation. That would leave Chip Ganassi and Andy Petree still searching for sponsors for next season(Winston Salem Journal)(8-11-2001) UPDATE 4: hearing there was a teleconference today in which it was announced that Cingular Wireless will sponsor a RCR car next season, didn’t say which car, but hearing it’ll could take the place of Lowes on the #31 and Lowes could go to go to the Hendrick Motorsports #48 and Jimmie Johnson? Chip Ganassi said on FSN’s Totally NASCAR that the Target car at Bristol is a one race deal only and he has two sponsors Cingular and Coors AND from a Cingular Newsletter – Cingular Wireless will take the green flag in the 2002 Winston Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing. Cingular, the country’s second largest wireless company, will be a primary sponsor of Richard Childress Racing, and will compete nationally in the 36-race series in the Cingular Wireless Chevrolet. Cingular and RCR have agreed to a four-year sponsorship. The driver and the number of the Cingular Wireless/Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will be announced in the near future.(8-15-2001) AND “We hope to be ready to give everybody all of the information about our teams and drivers at the first of next week,” Childress said (That’s Racin’)(8-16-2001) UPDATE 5: Richard Childress said that he wouldn’t make the announcement or talk about it until the first part of the week, but it has been learned that the Cingular Wireless Phone Company will be the primary sponsor on the #31 Chevy currently sponsored by Lowe’s. Still no word on who will drive the car. Current #31 driver, Mike Skinner, still has a year left on his contract with RCR(Insider Racing News) AND hearing Robby Gordon has signed a 3-year deal with RCR to drive the #31 Cingular Chevy(8-17-2001) UPDATE 6: It appears that Robby Gordon will be replacing Mike Skinner on Richard Childress’s second team next season, with what is reported to be a three-year contract. Childress has told Mike Skinner he is free to look for another ride.(Winston Salem Journal)(8-20-2001)
