Nextel Debuts TV Spots with Gordon and Kenseth

RESTON, Va.--May 28, 2004--Second phase of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series(TM) advertising features drivers and teams

Nextel Communications Inc. announced today that the second phase of its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series(TM) advertising will launch Sunday, May 30, 2004, during the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. The two television spots feature series champions Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth and their No. 24 and No. 17 racing teams, respectively. Gordon and Kenseth have won a combined five races during the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season.

"Integrating the NASCAR sponsorship into our advertising campaign has been one of our key priorities and a highly visible way to broaden awareness of the sport," said Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of marketing for Nextel. "We began our campaign in January by consciously paying tribute to the history and heritage of the sport. From there, we placed the stars of NASCAR in light-hearted situations where audiences can see that we have a sense of humor and that we are fans, too. With these new spots we continue to include the drivers and show how our technology can help NASCAR drivers and teams get things done."

This phase of Nextel's NASCAR advertising campaign is an extension of the company's Done. brand campaign and core strategy. The spots are targeted to the NASCAR fan base and demonstrate Nextel's support of the sport, its drivers, the race teams and Nextel technology as tools for solving problems.

The Gordon spot, titled "Highway Star," portrays the driver as genuine and human, with a sense of humor. The spot puts Gordon in a situation that the audience (both race fans and non-fans) can identify with -- running out of fuel. Stranded, Gordon has to use the digital walkie-talkie Direct Connect(R) service on his Nextel(R) phone to instantly contact 'Rooster', the gas man for Gordon's No. 24 team, which leads to humorous banter between the two.

The Kenseth spot, titled "Robot," illustrates that the driver and his crew work together like a well-oiled machine. This is demonstrated by their quick response to an "emergency" during a Victory Lane celebration. The champagne spray begins to make Kenseth short-circuit. The crew then uses Nextel's Direct Connect(R) walkie-talkie service to communicate with other team members who pull another 'Kenseth' out of a truck full of 'Kenseths' and return him to the Victory Lane festivities. Kenseth is portrayed as calculated and precise on the track -- as proven by his win at the recent NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.

Filming for both spots took place in the Los Angeles area during a one-week period in April. Gordon and Kenseth did their own stunts using no doubles or stand-ins. Gordon's "Highway Star" spot was shot on location on Highway 210, which producers closed on one side for the shoot. For "Robot," which was shot on location at Long Beach City College, the producers recreated Victory Lane as well as made a detailed plaster facemask of Kenseth that was used to create the eight robots used in the commercial. Creating the facemask took a Hollywood crew 60 minutes as they applied plaster to Kenseth's face. After the plaster dried, the mask was removed and casts were made for the eight robot faces.

Both commercials will debut on FOX this Sunday during the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. and run primarily on FOX, NBC, TNT and SPEED Channel as well as appear on Nextel Vision jumbotrons located at the race track

About Nextel

Nextel Communications, a FORTUNE 200 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Today 95 percent of FORTUNE 500(R) companies are Nextel customers. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc. currently serve 295 of the top 300 U.S. markets where approximately 252 million people live or work.