Scanners will still be allowed

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Nextel Communications is hoping it can ingratiate itself to skeptical fans by providing subtle conveniences and nostalgia in its first season sponsoring NASCAR's top series.

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High on the list is assuring fans they still will be able to use their race scanners. The popular and pricey gadgets allow fans to listen to teams' in-race audio by tuning in to their frequency. When a communications company purchased title sponsor rights, speculation quickly mounted that the old scanners would be phased out.

Though some tweaking may be done to allow Nextel subscribers similar access, there are no plans to make the scanners obsolete, executive vice president Mark Schweitzer said.

"Scanners as they are now will stay in place," Schweitzer said. "We have made no plans to limit their use."

Still, Nextel got into the NASCAR business to sell cellular phone service, so certain brand-exclusive options will be available, including live online content with a Web-equipped phone and faceplates in the style of current and old-time drivers. Models are available for Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch. Others will be introduced this year.

In addition to new yellow-and-black signs, Nextel is introducing itself at tracks with previously unavailable displays and games, most visibly the Nextel Experience, an interactive exhibit that features historical themes, and racing demonstrations such as pit-stop competitions. These enclosed exhibits will be surrounded by 50-foot towers and will feature jumbo television screens and live entertainment on non-race days. There also will be a NASCAR history wall, free racing simulators and a media broadcast stage.

More subtle additions will include mobile "cellular on wheels" towers, so-called "NAScows." Nextel claims 80 percent of cellular calls placed at NASCAR events fail to connect thanks to an oversaturation of coverage areas. Positioned around the track perimeter, the new tractor-trailered vehicles are designed to improve the chances of calls going through.

Also, Nextel will fund an early response team designed to allow state and local police and fire departments to communicate in the event of an emergency at a race.

--From the Saturday, February 7, 2004 online edition of the Augusta Chronicle