 The Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway and was contested over the final ten races.The season was the final year that the NASCAR Cup Series was known as the "Nextel Cup Series".As a result of the 2005 merger of Nextel Communications with Sprint Corporation, and the subsequent decision by the newly named Sprint Nextel Corporation, the name of the series was changed to the "Sprint Cup Series" for 2008.