The
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (often shortened to
Sprint Cup or the
Cup Series) is the top racing series of the
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series is named for its current sponsor, the
Sprint Corporation, and has been known by other names in the past. It was originally known as the
Strictly Stock Series (1949) and shortly became the
Grand National Series (1950–1970). While leasing its
naming rights to
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was known as the
Winston Cup Series (1971–2003). A similar deal was made with
Nextel in 2003, becoming the
Nextel Cup Series (2004–2007) and it became the Sprint Cup after
Sprint acquired Nextel in 2005. The name "Sprint" refers specifically to the subsidiary of Japanese telecommunications company
SoftBank which is the entitlement sponsor;
sprint car racing is a separate racing discipline.