Nextel Communications Inc. has launched the Nextel All-Star Challenge Sweepstakes, the first of three national sweepstakes that will be offered by Nextel during the 2005 NASCAR season.
The sweepstakes, which began on Sunday, lets fans choose one driver among the top 35 in points standings to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 21, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.
Voting can be done on race weekends at The Nextel Experience (Nextel’s at-race mobile marketing exhibit), at Nextel retail locations, online at Nextel.com/allstar and via Nextel phones by texting “STAR” to 7827. The sweepstakes winner will be chosen at random after voting closes on May 7.
Fans participating in the Nextel All-Star Challenge Sweepstakes will automatically be entered for a chance to win a $50,000 cash prize and an ultimate fan experience VIP package, valued at $20,000, compliments of Nextel. The VIP prize package includes four tickets to the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, accommodations, a ride in the official pace car, helicopter transport to the race and the opportunity to be the honorary starter of the race.
Thousands of contest participants will also win instant prizes with their ballots. Prizes include Motorola handsets built exclusively for Nextel, tickets to the 2005 NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge and Nextel Cup prize packs.
“We had a successful campaign in 2004 with more than 200,000 people submitting votes,” said Mark Schweitzer, senior VP of marketing for Nextel in a statement. “We hope to exceed that number and bring more fans closer to the sport they love.”
Other Nextel-sponsored sweeps planned for later this year include the Race to the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Sweepstakes, in which fans pick the driver they think will win the Nextel Cup.
This will be the second year of the Race to the Chase sweepstakes. Last October, each of the finalists and three guests were flown to Homestead, FL, for the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship race, and the contestant who selected eventual series champ Kurt Busch received a grand prize of $250,000. The finalists were chosen at random, but needed to have selected one of the 10 drivers that would compete for the series championship.
Of the more than 370,000 entries received for the 2004 Race to the Chase sweepstakes, 40,000 were entered through Nextel phones.
Nextel said it would run a third promotion that will be associated with the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Details were not announced.
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