Nextel News - Richmond International Raceway

Sept. 6, 2005 - Richmond International Raceway

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Key Dates to Keep in Mind

Richmond weekend

A Sept. 9 - Nextel Wake-Up Call with Ryan Newman at 10:45 a.m. EDT
A Sept. 9 - Bud Pole Qualifying at 6:10 p.m. EDT (Impound)
A Sept. 10 - Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at 7:40 p.m. EDT (400 laps/300 miles)
Upcoming events
A Sept. 16 - 'Juice with Jimmie Johnson' at New Hampshire, Time TBD
A Sept. 16 - Nextel Wake-Up Call at 11:00 a.m. EDT, Guest TBD

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup - News and Highlights
* Chase Media Opportunities
* Racing Tidbits

Sprint News
* Products/Business
* Nextel Fan Zone
* Contact Information

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Media Opportunities
* Nextel Wake-Up Call
On Friday, Sept. 9, at 10:45 a.m., the Nextel Wake-Up Call will feature Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, for a question and answer session. Breakfast will be served at 9:30 a.m. in the media center.
Beginning at New Hampshire, the Nextel Wake-Up Call will feature a Chase driver each week until the finale at Homestead.
Upcoming Nextel Wake-Up Calls:
Sept. 16 - 11:00a.m. at New Hampshire International Speedway, Guest TBD
* NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Teleconference
Every Tuesday NASCAR and Sprint team up to provide the media with a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver, crew chief or owner. All media are invited to participate in the teleconference. Please visit www.nascarmedia.com <http://www.nascarmedia.com/> for guests and timing.

Call-in information 800-946-0774 (Domestic) and 719-457-2648 (International)
Meeting ID or Reference: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series

* Wondering how to get an interview with a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver?

If you are interested in interviewing a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver, please submit all requests to the appropriate public relations contact no later than the Tuesday prior to the event. To obtain information for the appropriate public relations contact, please visit www.nascarmedia.com <http://www.nascarmedia.com/> .

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Racing Tidbits
* Nextel Leader Bonus $40,000
The Nextel Leader Bonus increases to $40,000 this week as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series heads to Richmond for the final race before the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Tony Stewart and the No. 20 crew could take home yet another Nextel Leader Bonus if they win while maintaining the points lead.
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Nextel Fan Zone
* Sprint Nextel and Ford Make Dreams Come True

Sprint Nextel and the Ford F-Series, The Official Truck of NASCAR, have teamed up to give nine race fans the opportunity to compete as drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway just days before the stars of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series take the track for Ford Championship Weekend. The winner of this Fan Driving Championship will receive the grand prize, the "Race to the Dream" Ultimate Fan Experience.

The "Race to the Dream" began Aug. 27, when consumers started registering online at www.racetothedream.com <http://www.racetothedream.com/> . More entries can be earned by visiting the site often and correctly answering trivia questions about the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, the Ford F-150 and Ford Racing. Once a week, beginning Sept. 7 and continuing through Nov. 3, a winner will be chosen at random. The winners of the nine weekly drawings will travel to Miami where they will participate in a three-day driving experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway and compete to win the "Race to the Dream" Ultimate Fan Experience.
* The Nextel Experience
One of the most popular at-track fan attractions is The Nextel Experience. Located in the fan interactive area, the 6,400-square-foot display includes opportunities to view pit-crew demonstrations, compete in racing simulators, participate in driver question-and-answer sessions, make a free phone call and use the latest Sprint technology. For a special behind-the-scenes tour of The Nextel Experience, please see your at-track Sprint PR representatives.

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Products/Business

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* Sprint - Coming to the Aid After Hurricane Katrina

Sprint Nextel is marshalling its forces along the Gulf Coast to restore service in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In addition to hundreds of engineers and technicians, almost two-dozen specialty vehicles have been assembled to coordinate the recovery effort and restore communications services to the devastated communities.

Sprint Nextel's Enterprise Incident Management Team, the group which oversees disasters such as hurricanes, will be deploying a Mobile Command Center with full network and Information Technology capabilities to coordinate Sprint Nextel's massive recovery effort.

Sprint Nextel's Emergency Response Team (ERT) is deploying two large RVs plus several other support vehicles, including five SatCOLTS, or satellite cells on light trucks, to aid with restoration of government and emergency services. The ERT will come equipped with 3,000 Nextel Walkie Talkie handsets for those emergency services customers and organizations.

Plus, Sprint's Government Sales group will be arriving with eight more RVs to assist government customers with their restoration needs.

For more information and merger updates, please visit www.sprint.com <http://www.sprint.com/> .

* The Sprint Nextel Trackside Retail Store
This full service trackside store located in the merchandise area enables fans, teams, and track personnel to purchase Sprint Nextel phones and accessories, data devices, and NASCAR fan data services. Customers can take advantage of the largest inventory of i736 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series phones anywhere. Customers can also get their phone tuned up at our Service and Repair station. There are also special race weekend offers! For more information, please see your at-track Sprint Nextel PR representatives.
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Sprint Public Relations Contact Information

Mike Mooney
704-361-9499
michael.mooney@sprint.com

Becky Cox
704-634-5899
rebecca.cox@sprint.com

Dan Passe
704-746-4463
daniel.passe@sprint.com

Joel Shadle
703-433-4654
joel.shadle@sprint.com

Kurt Culbert
704-202-3995
kurt.culbert@sprint.com

Kimberly Meesters
704-634-3637
kimberly.meesters@sprint.com

Crystal Carraway
704-361-5230
crystal.carraway@sprint.com

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Hot Topics

Weather Forecast For Richmond, VA
9/9 Sunny, 87*
9/10 Sunny, 84*
*According to weather.com

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Media Guides will be available on Friday at Richmond. Please see a Sprint PR representative for more information!
For more information on the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, visit nascarmedia.com <http://www.nascarmedia.com/>

Race to the Chase: Who's in and who's close
Drivers in the top 10 or within 400 points of the leader:

*Tony Stewart
Leader

*Greg Biffle
-209

*Jimmie Johnson
-258

*Rusty Wallace
-313

*Mark Martin
-421

*Kurt Busch
-456

Jeremy Mayfield
-497

Carl Edwards
-556

Matt Kenseth
-631

Jamie McMurray
-641

*Clinched spots in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup

Who's Close:

Ryan Newman
-642

Jeff Gordon
Elliott Sadler
Dale Jarrett
-671
-693
-758