AT&T awaits court decision

NASCAR, Nextel and AT&T presented their arguments to U.S. District court judge Marvin H. Schoob during a four-hour hearing on Thursday and although an immediate decision was expected, no ruling will be made before May 7.

The judge set one week from Monday as the deadline for briefs to be submitted in the case. At some point after that, a decision on the injunction will be made and  AT&T will learn if they will  be able to place their logos on Burton's car immediately or not.

In a statement NASCAR insisted they presented their case hoping to defend the overall interests of those involved in the Nextel Cup Series.

"NASCAR is defending every driver, team and track involved with NASCAR," the release stated. "The court's ruling will be important to protect the very flexible and open environment that allows for hundreds of sponsors to successfully participate in NASCAR.

"It's important to remember that Sprint Nextel is a cornerstone sponsor that benefits the entire industry by way of its contribution to the championship points fund, technology bringing fans closer to the sport and its massive marketing and advertising campaigns.

"NASCAR will continue to protect the industry in any future attacks on our key partners."

The Richard Childress car of Jeff Burton has been sponsored by Cingular since 2001 but AT&T recently acquired Bellsouth, co-owner of the Cingular brand and has tried since then to change the No. 31 livery from Cingular to the AT&T globe logo.

NASCAR did not allow the change, which led AT&T to file a lawsuit against them last month, following that with an injunction a few days later.