WHAT'S NEXT?(Competition)

NASCAR fans and competitors probably won't see any immediate major changes from the impending merger of telecom giants Sprint and Nextel. The $35 billion deal-likely to be completed by midsummer-will create Sprint Nextel Inc. With 35 million customers, it will be the world's third-largest wireless provider behind Cingular and Verizon. Despite the corporate merger and name change, the championship of NASCAR's top series will remain known as Nextel Cup at least through 2005.

"Ideally, we'd like to have as minimal change as possible,'' NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said when the merger was announced Dec. 15. (France said he didn't know about the merger until shortly before it was announced.) "They're still working out the details, so to speculate would be putting the cart in front of the horse. It'll have very little bearing because they'll spend most of next year closing the deal. Beyond that, they'll need to figure out their branding strategy. Although we're a small piece, we believe we are a prime marketing vehicle. I have no concerns about this merger. They always said they wanted to grow the company [Nextel], and they're doing that.''

Nextel CEO Tom Donahue will be named chairman of Sprint Nextel Inc. and Sprint CEO Gary D. Forsee will retain his title. Forsee said he and Donahue are working on "appropriate branding'' for the company's involvement with stock car racing. One possibility: renaming the final 10-race playoff portion of the season "the Sprint to the Nextel Cup.''

The Winston brand of R.J. Reynolds Inc. sponsored NASCAR's top series from 1971 through the 2003 season. (It was called Strictly Stock in its inaugural 1949 season, then Grand National from 1950 through 1970.) Nextel won the bidding war to succeed Winston with a 10-year, $700 million package. One of its largest selling points was its willingness to market and promote the actual sport as much as its own line of wireless phone service.

McLaren says no

The McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team has rebuffed a widespread rumor that former driver Mika Hakkinen (below left) would be its third driver, participating in the Friday practice at Grands Prix in 2005 alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. However, McLaren is likely to take advantage of the fact that it finished outside the top four constructors in the 2004 championship, making it eligible to run a third car on Fridays. Alex Wurz is expected to do most of the driving-if the team can modify its 2005 car to accommodate the Austrian's nearly six foot height.

Hakkinen, 36, the 1998 and '99 F1 world champion for McLaren, will return to full-time racing in 2005 in the German-based DTM touring car series. "His sole objective is to achieve his goals in the DTM with Mercedes-Benz,'' the team stated. "We are not involved in any talks with regard to our F1 program.''